Advent Calendar
by Kitty Kat K.O
Summary: Christmas is coming, and Cafe Mew Mew invites you to take a look-see at the going's-on of all the TMM cast in the lead up to the big day. An advent calendar fic; something for every day of December. Mainly Ryou x Ichigo
1. 1st December

**A/N: **What's this? A new fic from an author who never updates? Is this a miracle? Yes, yes it is. XD I'm sick and tired of never updating anything anymore, so I'm going to push myself into writing faster and updating quicker. _Daily. _Yep, this fic shall be updated every day until Xmas.

Basically, this is a series of short ficlets (not short enough to be a drabble, however) - like my previous _'Skittles' _- only these ones will be related to the festive season. It's like an advent calendar, ne? Something you get in the month leading up to Christmas. The first couple ficlets aren't as Christmas-y, but they will get progressively more so as the holiday draws closer.

**Pairings: **Open to suggestion - if you want a specific pairing, let me know and I'll give it a go. But, because it's me, there will undoubtedly be a lot of RxI in this somewhere.

So, enjoy! And yeah, I don't own TMM. :P

* * *

_T'was a month until Christmas, and all through the place, things were a-bustle, chaos running ablaze. Not one inch was silent, not one corner still, Mew Mews doing allsorts, against poor Ichigo's will…_

* * *

"Pudding, be careful or you'll break those! And watch out for Lettuce - don't drop them on her! And, um… Lettuce, are you sure you should be carrying all those cups at once. I mean, if you trip you could--" _CRASH _"…Never-mind. I'll go find the dustpan and brush."

Sighing, Ichigo made her way across the main floor of the café, arms hanging limply at her sides as she practically dragged herself along. She was tired; that much was obvious. She'd been working non-stop all day - which meant more than it usually did, considering her boss had decided to not only open the café two hours earlier, but had tricked her into coming in two hours before _that_, just so he could be sure that she wouldn't be late. And by now, the clock was already making its way round to four. So why couldn't she go on a break yet?

"Stupid, Shirogane," she muttered to herself. "Shouldn't have set up all those bargains. And it's only the first day! Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"You know, you really shouldn't talk to yourself like that. Someone may think you're crazy."

Ichigo lifted her head at the sound of the voice, and found herself facing Mint. The lorikeet was perched at an empty table, causally sipping a steaming mug of tea. She looked perfectly relaxed; the scene of absolute serenity, painfully ironic against the background of bedlam. Ichigo groaned.

Smirking, the other girl took this as her cue to continue, "Of course, spend five minutes with you, and it's quite obvious you're already crazy. I really don't know how we manage to put up with it every day."

The catgirl glared, but otherwise chose to ignore her friend. She knew that by giving in to her taunting, she would only ending up stalling on her current task - and because there was broken crockery scattered all over the floor, she really couldn't afford to do that. So, turning away, she once again began to trudge towards the kitchen, leaving behind a smug Mint.

However, as she reached the door, hand placed on it and ready to push, a thought occurred to her. Slowly, slowly, she turned her head back round to Mint.

"Hey… aren't you supposed to be _working, _Mint-chan?" she asked, her voice low and suspicious.

Mint shifted a little in her seat. She brought the cup up to her lips and blew on it lightly, sending steam whisking off into the air. As she took a sip, she sent a knowing, mischievous look at Ichigo, before lowering the drink and folding her hands in her lap. "Shouldn't you?" she countered, not bothering to hide the smirk that was growing increasingly wider and wickeder on her face.

Ichigo groaned once more in defeat, pushing the door and exiting the room.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Ichigo-chan!" Mint called after her as she retreated, door swinging on its hinges behind her. "There's always tomorrow to look forward to!"

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**A/N: **Review?


	2. 2nd December

**A/N: **Second chapter, everyone - and look, it's actually on time! I'm cutting it close, though. XD

Again, not as Christmas-y or romantic, but friendship is still good, right?

Disclaimer? See chapter one.

Also, this one's dedicated to **Marvel Maiden**. Not sure if it'll cheer her up, but sending my love (platonic) to her anyway.

* * *

_The second of December, and what can we see? Ichigo's hard at work, but Mint's still drinking tea. Pudding's breaking plates, with Lettuce following suite Zakuro's scaring customers, and Ryou's sweat-dropping at the scene…_

* * *

He couldn't believe it. It was only the second day and already the café was in utter anarchy. There'd never been more broken plates, cups, dishes, and pots ever in the entire Café Mew Mew history. Nor had there ever been as many customers to sit, serve, cook for, and clean up after. Ryou sighed, closing his eyes. Perhaps he shouldn't have put up those special Christmas offers after all.

His head snapped up when the distinct sound of hushed cursing met his ears, and he smirked in amusement as he recognized the voice. Turning, he shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled into the kitchen, where the noise was coming from.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Ryou attempted to stifle a laugh. Composing himself just enough, he said, "Not like you to use such language, Keiichiro."

The disgruntled pony-tailed chef spun on the spot, baking tray clutched tightly in one hand, oven gloves in the other. Yes, oven gloves clutched _in the other. _It took him only seconds to realise his hasty mistake.

With a pain-filled cry of, "Yeeeoooow!", Keiichiro let go of the red-hot tray, wincing as it fell to a floor with a _clang! _and its contents scattered across the linoleum. Ryou's smirk faded.

"You ok?" he asked, concern tingeing his voice. He watched as the elder male shook his hand in an attempt to rid it of the burning sensation, before giving a curt nod. "Sure?"

"It's only a burn; not like I haven't had one before."

"True. But you've never grabbed a tray with your bare hand before, either," the blonde pointed out, folding his arms across his chest briefly, and glancing at the spilled goodies on the floor. An idea popped into his head as he looked at the edible Christmas shapes, and he bent down to scoop up a perfectly shaped, un-iced Christmas tree; it was amongst the very few that weren't broken into pieces. Ryou looked back at the injured chef, who was still standing and shaking his hand, staring dejectedly at the now ruined biscuits. "Run it under the cold water for a while, then I'll come back and bandage it for you."

Keiichiro turned his attention to his friend, offering him a small smile. "The biscuits are destroyed now; I'll have to make a fresh batch from scratch… Hey, just what are you going to do with that, anyway?" he asked, catching sight of the biscuit held loosely between Ryou's fingers.

"Hmm, oh this? Just thought I'd be a kind, considerate boss for a change, and let Strawberry test this as a reward for her hard work," he explained, smirk creeping across his face once again.

"But, Ryou… that biscuit's been…"

"I know, Keiichiro. But what the baka doesn't know, won't hurt her…" And with that, he turned and left the room.

As he switched the tap on and stuck his arm under the cool, running water, Keiichiro swore he heard the delighted cry of the over-worked red-head… quickly followed by angry shouts, and what he assumed was a plate smashing off the wall, after narrowly missing Ryou's head.

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**A/N: **Reviews mean I'll update tomorrow.


	3. 3rd December

**A/N: **I'm cutting it so late this time. It's literally about half eleven at night for me. XD So yes, I only just finished writing this - apologies if it's not very good; my thoughts kinda seem to go blurry this late, and I can't think straight. But I was absolutely determined to make my deadline, which is why I even bothered starting to write it tonight.

Hopefully tomorrow's should be up sooner.

See first chapter for disclaimer.

* * *

_From the start of December, for twenty-five days, we count down the time, in a very special way. Sweet little chocolates, behind little cardboard doors; looks like a certain catgirl, is trying to get some more…_

* * *

Silence.

She glanced left; she glanced right. Upon confirming that no-one was around, she nodded to herself, before making a dash across the hall and through the door that lead to the lab. Quickly, she closed it behind herself, making sure to be as quiet as possible.

She edged her way down the steps, slowly at first, but soon she grew bored of being so cautious and instead proceeded to flit down the rest of the stairway. Reaching the bottom, she looked around warily; being caught now would only result in her being forced to work over-time. And she definitely didn't want that to happen again. The computer screen flickered in front of her, providing the only real lighting in the room, while the swivel chair was pushed back and away from the desk, vacant. Some books were open on it, and as curiosity overcame her, she sauntered forward to take a peek. A big picture filled half of the left page with text making up the rest of it; a brief skim over the first few lines was all it took for her to conclude that it was a science book - advanced, no less - and not worth her time trying to stumble over and confuse herself on.

Turning away, she scanned the room a moment, her eyes sweeping over the contents on the right side. She placed a finger on her lip in thought, scrunching up her nose; "Now if I were an advent calendar, where would I be?"

"Hiding from naughty little red-heads trying to steal chocolate, perhaps."

She spun around. And froze. Her face fell; she had been so sure that nobody else would be down here at this time, not even him. And from the looks of it, he'd been expecting her too. She sighed, knowing instantly she was defeated.

"Baka Strawberry. This what you're looking for?" Ryou asked, holding up the chocolate-filled calendar and raising an eyebrow.

Ichigo ground her teeth, glaring at the boy. "Might be," she replied, taking a step forward. He took one back.

"Ah, ah, ah," he protested, shaking his head to emphasize his disapproval of her action. "Naughty Strawberry's don't get such rewards as this, so--" Ryou moved to open one of the small, cardboard windows, peeling it back easily.

"You wouldn't," Ichigo warned, eyes widening in realization of what he was about to do. He ignored her, continuing to pop the sweet out of its plastic mold.

"--maybe I should take care of this, just to dissuade you from attempting to do such a sneaky thing as this in future," he finished, letting the chocolate drop into his hand. Smirking, he raised it to his lips, about to place it into his mouth--

_Thump!_

"Ow! Hey! What was that for, baka?!"

"Yes, mine!" Ichigo cried happily upon successfully grabbing it and immediately stuffing the chocolate shape into her mouth, smiling triumphantly. Ryou simply stared at her, stunned.

"Strawberry…" he said slowly, "did you really have to tackle me for _that_?"

In reply, she merely looked at him, face twisted into an expression that clearly read _"duh, of course"_. The blonde closed his eyes, groaning disbelievingly.

Silly Ryou, doesn't he know not to come between a girl and her chocolate?

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**A/N: **A little cliche at the end, but I struggled trying to think of something that could be somewhat Christmas-related so early in the month. I can't for the later days - I have tons of ideas for then.

Review please!


	4. 4th December

**A/N: **I am so cheating now. It's actually the 5th where I am now, but I'm taking advantage of the fact that FF time is eight hours behind me.

Why did I sign up for this? XD I'm such a lazy-updater, usually.

Anyway, leave reviews everyone! Pretty-pretty please, since I'm staying up when I should be sleeping so that you all get the promised update?

* * *

_The next day of December, and it's starting to get cold, temperature's dropping rapidly - nearing zero we've been told. So what else is there to do, on a cold café eve, than take cover somewhere cosy, and flat-out refuse to leave…_

* * *

"Strawberry, out."

Said Mew whipped her head furiously from side to side in protest and tightened her grip on the blankets, hoisting them up past her chin and covering her mouth. She stared at him with big, chocolate, kitty eyes, making them sparkle as innocently as she could. However, it had no effect on the boy stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Out. Now," he repeated firmly. His frustration was building up - however much he was trying to control it, Ichigo could hear the underlying tone of anger. Perhaps she was a fool for not obeying him at this time; her cat genetics had caused her to develop an animal-like sixth sense in being able to detect danger, and right now, every fibre of her body was screaming at her to get out of there.

But, stubborn practically being second nature to her, she remained where she sat. Yes, she felt it was a brief moment of insanity that had led her to conceive the idea of retreating and curling up here, of all places - however, that moment of insanity had been a very _cold _moment of insanity. And because she was partially feline, the freezing temperature had made her seek out the warmest place available. Which just so happened to be Ryou's bed.

He closed his eyes, and repositioned himself so that he was leaning against the door-frame, lifting a hand to bury his face in. After a few moments, he moved it upwards to massage his temples, raising his head to face her as he did so, but not yet re-opening his eyes. "Why won't you leave?" he asked, almost wearily. For a moment, Ichigo thought that maybe he'd give up and return to the lab for a while, leaving her in peace… but her hopes were crushed suddenly, when he began walking towards her rather than away.

She watched him as he drew closer, eventually being forced to look up when he reached her side. She stayed silent - which was very unlike her - not really wanting to answer his question. Unfortunately, her blush did that for her.

Ryou's eyebrow quirked in amusement, upon noticing the pink hue on her face. In response, her wide chocolate eyes narrowed. Deciding that it'd be disastrous for him to get the wrong idea, she finally answered. "It's warm."

He was taken aback, expression changing completely. Well… he hadn't expected that. Sure, it was cold, but he didn't realise she was _that _cold. Ryou opened his mouth, but closed it again, opting for a different approach. If she was really that freezing inside, he couldn't force her outside.

So, doing the most un-Ryou-like thing ever (and telling himself that it was only because if she caught hypothermia, her father would beat him to a pulp), he cocked his head to the side, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Baka Strawberry, get out of there. I'll drive you home."

Lowering the duvet, she blinked once. Then twice. Before he could change his mind, she leapt out of his bed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the room and down the stairs. Passing through the main floor of the café, she smiled triumphantly as she glanced out the window.

After all, who would want to walk home when outside it was… _Snowing?!_

_

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_**A/N: **Cliffhanger? In drabbles? XD This is a new one for me. Should be fun...


	5. 5th December

**A/N: **Oops. I wrote total fluff for this one, and I have no idea where it came from.

I think this one's slightly shorter, too. Ah well, enjoy!

* * *

_It's a glistening white blanket, so cold to the touch, joyful and peaceful, and merry and fun. It's unfortunate for Ryou, that Ichigo likes snow, because he just went outside, and is about to get cold…_

* * *

It was cold. No, scratch that - it was _freezing_. And wet, too. The snow slipped off his face slowly, falling to join the rest of the white blanket at his feet. His eyes narrowed into a glare, and he lifted an ungloved hand to swipe at his face where the snowball had hit.

Ichigo smiled playfully back at him, forming another snowy sphere with her fluffy pink-gloved hands.

"Was that really necessary, baka? Especially since I was so kind as to drive you home last night?" Ryou asked, clearly unamused.

"Oh lighten up, Shirogane!" Ichigo called cheerfully. "It's called fun!" Her frivolous cry to him was followed by another snowball, this one hitting him square in the chest.

"That's not fun, Strawberry. It's stupid. And quit hauling snowballs at me!" he yelled, as he was pelted yet again.

She ignored him, continuing to flit around happily in the snow. Scooping up handfuls of it, she threw it up in the air around her, before proceeding to twirl and spin and jump all around the yard in front of the café. But one glance back at Ryou, and she stopped her childish antics, putting her hands on her hips and sighing.

"You're meant to be working," he stated firmly, noticing her attention had returned to him. She rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Shirogane, when was the last time you actually had fun?"

"…The last time you did something stupid. That was _fun_ to see."

He smirked, watching as her face flushed red.

"Oh, honestly, Shirogane! You are such a jerk! Why do you always have to push it like that?" Ichigo huffed as she stormed over to him, interest in the snow now completely lost. "I mean, all you do is tease me, and make fun of me, and boss me around, and--UWAH!"

It all happened so suddenly. She really hadn't meant to trip as she drew closer to him. Nor had she meant to end up falling on top of him as she descended. And she definitely had not meant for their lips to connect in an awkward, unexpected liplock.

They stayed like that for several seconds, both staring in shock at one another. Ryou was the first to regain his senses, but for a moment was unsure whether or not to push the girl away or deepen the kiss. His hesitation was too long, however, for during that time Ichigo became aware of what was actually happening, and sprung away from him. Or, well, tried to. She ended up stumbling and landing on her butt in her haste.

Looking up, her eyes caught Ryou's, a blush instantly arising on her cheeks. His own cheeks darkened every so slightly, but he quickly turned away from her so she wouldn't catch sight of it. Neither moved.

And as they sat, small, fluffy white flakes began falling all around them...

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**A/N: **The review button? Please click it - it only takes a few minutes to leave a review!


	6. 6th December

**A/N: **Wow, this one isn't being posted stupidly late. How odd. It's kinda a little filler, but in the same way crucial to the story. It's also slightly longer, to make up for the shortness of the last chapter.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! I really should get to dishing out review replies soon. Sorry 'bout that... ^^;

And **Jhaede**: it's so good to hear from you again! Yeesh, I thought you'd fallen off the face of the planet, or something. XD Hah - no penalty for me this time!

Enjoy everyone!

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_The café's unusually quiet, no bickering to be heard, Ry and Ichi staying out of each other's sight, the other Mews thinking it's absurd. So it's time to make a plan, to find out what's really going on, but they better be prepared now, because nobody predicted this one…_

* * *

"Don't you think it's a little weird?"

Mint looked up from her teacup, raising her eyebrow at the green-haired girl who had spoken. She watched a moment in silence, as Lettuce swept the floor beside Mint's table. It was clear she was only doing it to speak to the bluenette - the linoleum surrounding Mint's permanent table was always spotless. She simply never made a mess.

"You mean about Ichigo and Shirogane-san?" Mint asked; Lettuce paused and nodded quickly, before returning to her sweeping. "Hmm… yes, it is _very _strange indeed. Something definitely happened, but--" She took a sip of her tea. "--I have no idea exactly what. Perhaps we should investigate."

It was a statement, rather than a question - Lettuce heard the tone in Mint's voice that meant she had already decided. And once Mint had made her mind up, there was no going back. So Lettuce gulped, knowing that even though she really didn't like the sound of it - or that odd, sly look Mint was getting on her face - there was no way out.

"First of all, we'll need a plan--"

"Pudding knows a plan, na no da!" came a screech from behind. Both girls jumped and sprung around, just in time to see the monkey-girl clap her hands enthusiastically. "So, what we gots to do is, first: think of codenames. Lettuce can be… Green Monkey, and Mint can be Blue Monkey. And Pudding shall be Supreme Monkey!"

"And why do you get to be Supreme Monkey?" Mint questioned, suddenly tight-lipped.

"Because I thought it up, na no da! Anyway, stage two will be infiltrating the kitchen--"

"Why the kitchen?" Lettuce asked, confused. She tilted her head to the side, leaning on her broom and completely forgetting about her current task of sweeping invisible crumbs.

"Well, that's where they are," Pudding answered, innocently. "Now, the third stage will be to snatch the cookies--"

"Cookies?!"

"…Yes, cookies! Isn't that what you needed Pudding's plan for, na no da?"

It took every bit of Mint's willpower not to smack her head off the table right then and there. "No, Pudding," she said, as calmly as possible. "We need to speak to Ichigo."

"Oh! Why didn't you say so? She's right over there, na no da!" Pudding pointed in front of her and passed the elder girls.

And, true as true, when they turned around they saw that Ichigo was stood behind them, face scrunched up in confusion.

"What're you all talking about? And why do you need to speak to me?"

Mint grinned deviously. "Oh, Ichigo! There you are! I have a very important question to ask."

Dread instantly worked its way onto Ichigo's face. "And that would be about…?"

"You and Shirogane-san."

Ichigo gulped. "W-what about us?" she asked, slowly beginning to back away. Mint caught sight of this attempt to flee, and rose from her chair, signaling for Lettuce and Pudding to help her corner the red-head.

"'Us' hmm? You make it sound like you two are a couple…" she continued slyly. Catching sight of the sudden blush creeping up Ichigo's cheeks, she gasped, before exclaiming excitedly, "You _are_ a couple! _You are!_ I knew it; it's written all over your face!"

"N-no!" Ichigo shrieked in denial. "It's not like that at all!"

But no-one paid her comment any notice.

"Shirogane-nii-san and Ichigo-onee-chan are in love?" Pudding cried in wonder, eyes widening and beginning to sparkle. Lettuce was doing a fantastic impression of a goldfish - mouth opening wide then snapping shut. Once, repeat, then again, again, again.

Frustrated and desperate, Ichigo made one last attempt to shut them all up. "We are not together - it was just a kiss!"

"…"

"…Did you three just faint?"

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**A/N: **Reviewers can have cookies! Christmas-shaped ones!


	7. 7th December

**A/N: **First of all, a big thank you to the Forumers (you know who you are) for helping me with coming up with rhyming words. Every time I say I'm struggling on thinking up a rhyme for a particular word, I get lists to choose from by them! So thank you!

Secondly, a note about this chapter: so I've noticed things in this fic aren't very Christmas-y as of yet. Don't worry - that'll all change really soon. I think this is probably the last not-so-Xmas-related chapter (though I made sure to put hints of the season in), or at least I hope it is. I also tried something new with this one; my dialogue in stories has never been very good - in fact, it's one of my major weak points in writing. So I thought I'd attempt something a little different here to try and improve it, hence why this chapter's loaded with mostly dialogue.

Let me know if it's any good! I need to know where my weak points in the speech are, and if anywhere's improving!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed - cookies for all!

* * *

_Sometimes it's very interesting, the things the Mew Mews do, like hatching plans and poking noses in, all for the sake of the truth. And poor Ichigo's got it coming, because Mint's hell-bent on finding out, what feelings she has for Shirogane-san, and what that kiss was all about…_

_

* * *

_"I can't believe you actually kissed Shirogane-san!"

"…Mint, that's the sixth time you've said that in the last fifteen minutes."

"Yes, but it's true! I can't!"

Ichigo sighed, moving on to the next table. Dumping the bucket down beside her, she dunked the cloth, wrung it out, and began washing the counter. All the while, Mint twittered insistently behind her.

"Ah, from day one I knew you two would end up together. I mean, sure you and Aoyama were great, but there always seemed to be…"

Ichigo attempted to tune her out, focusing on her task at hand. But little snippets of Mint's seemingly endless monologue kept drifting back in.

"…there was no doubting the chemistry…"

"…I always did wonder why you fought so much…"

"…it must be love--"

"HOLD UP! _When_ did you get _that_ absurd idea?" Ichigo shrieked, spinning to face her friend in shock, and managing to drop the cloth as she did so.

Mint rolled her eyes. "Well, it's so obvious. I mean, look at the way you two are avoiding each other--"

"It's because we're embarrassed!"

"And why are you embarrassed? Simple, because _you_ liked it," he bluenette stated, smiling triumphantly when all Ichigo could do was stand and babble in response.

"I-we…er…um…eep! Mint, just…just…ah-!"

"See, totally in love."

"We are not!" And with that, Ichigo turned back to what she was previously doing. _Wipe, wipe, dip, wring, wipe. Repeat._ _Wipe, wipe, dip, wring, wipe._ The red-head furiously scrubbed at the tabletops, ignoring Mint's presence completely. And for the most part, Mint actually remained silent. Ichigo was even beginning to think that maybe--

"So utterly in love."

Ok, maybe not.

"What are you even still doing here?!" Ichigo cried exasperatedly, throwing her arms up in the air. "The café closed over half an hour ago!"

Mint pursed her lips. "Isn't it obvious?" she began. "I'm working overtime tonight."

"…"

"What? Is there something wrong with that?" Mint asked indignantly, sticking her nose up slightly as she spoke. Ichigo was too stunned to reply, so for a moment the café was silent. She stared at the bluenette in bewilderment, blinking in rapid succession. It was a while before she found her voice again, but once she did, she shook her head to clear it and opened her mouth.

"But you _never_ work overtime! Ever! And you never work during your shifts, either. You just… never work!" she exclaimed.

"What's your point?"

"…That was it! You. Don't. Work. Overtime! Why the sudden change?"

"Well, I just figured there were more interesting things at work." Mint's eyes suddenly took on a devious, knowing glint and she smirked wickedly.

"What are you talking about?"

But alas, poor Ichigo will always be clueless. Mint rolled her eyes, tensing when she heard footsteps headed towards the main floor of the café. She turned as the footsteps grew louder, just in time to see Ryou rounding the corner. He halted when he caught sight of the two girls, staring incredulously at Mint.

"What're you still doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm helping Ichigo, Shirogane-san. Isn't that obvious?" she replied.

"But Mint, you don't work," Ryou stated matter-of-factly.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"…Because it' true," Ichigo muttered. Twisting to look over her shoulder at the catgirl, Mint noticed that she had gone back to scrubbing tables, avoiding their blonde boss as much as possible.

_'Oh honestly,_' Mint thought, _'they need to just get over themselves. Maybe kissing again would-- That's it!'_

"Hey Shirogane-san," she called, sauntering up to him. "The café's Christmas decorations are going up soon, right?" He nodded. "I was wondering, Shirogane-san, if we had any mistletoe to go up?" She threw a smug glance at the red-head - a brief enough one, that Ryou didn't even notice.

"Sure… I guess we do… Why?"

"Oh, just because," she shrugged. Ichigo gulped, as her cheeks flared the same colour as her hair. And she decided right there and then that Mint was officially off her Christmas Cards List.

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**A/N: **I love straight-to-the-point sentence endings. The impact adds all the humour, ne? Which is why I try and end my drabbles on a short, snappy note.

Anyway, as always the bottom of the drabbles are reserved for review begging. So, I shall get down on my hands and knees and say, "Review please!"


	8. 8th December

**A/N: **Ok, something tells me you lot are getting a treat. Subtle fluff _and _a chapter that's OVER 1,000 WORDS? What on Earth made me write that much? And in only an hour, too? I've never written 1,000 words so quick before!

This is more description-based - the complete opposite of the previous ficlet (let's face it, these aren't drabbles any more - they're just short chapters). It's a little different in the way I've written it, too. It's not actually meant to be funny (a non-funny chapter in a humour fic? Yeah, I'm so sorry. ^^;). But, enjoy all the same!

* * *

_There's a time for a place, and a place for a time, and a moment for silence, and a moment for rhyme. There's a moment to muse, a time to think, a morning of meaning, a morning of pink…_

_

* * *

_Mornings were Ryou's favourite time of the day. Especially when it was early morning, and the dawn was just breaking, sun surfacing into the sky with the birds cheeping it on. And the sky itself - a rich blend of pinks and purples, oranges, reds and gold - was something he woke up to watch every morning. Five AM, when there were only few cars on the road, and the shops were still shut and the city still in slumber. When the air was fresh and pleasant to breathe, before the traffic of the coming day would pollute it. Destroy it.

Sometimes Ryou stopped and thought to himself; questioned why he ever tried to stop the aliens from claiming the Earth. Looking around, he knew it would have been better had they taken it. It would have been easier… Easier than watching it rot away and die under the ignorance of human beings. And when he caught himself thinking such things, he'd shake his head and focus on another task. It was better to never think of that. Of course it was right what had happened - if he hadn't acted then the entire human race would be dead.

And, oddly enough, it was only ever mornings when he got these thoughts. He'd muse to himself for several hours, as he sat alone in his café, mulling silently over a large cup of coffee. He always needed the coffee - he barely slept, what with work keeping him up until late at night, and waking so soon the following day. Mornings were his sin, and in order to quench the craving of his sin, he had to pay a price. He was just glad no-one ever noticed the bags under his eyes.

However, there was always one time of year when his favourite time of day was disturbed. _Winter_. By the time the sun was rising, the world was waking. Cars charged through the streets, horns blaring, engines whirring. The sound of incessant chatter: a buzzing in his ears. He naturally stirred just before the sun did, but in winter it would be the sheer volume of noise that disrupted him. Broke his satiable habit. And he hated it.

That morning in particular, he arose to the drone of the cities inhabitants moving around, beginning to start their day's work and go about business. Ryou groaned, lifting his head from the pillow just long enough to glance at the clock. Seven, it read, its digits glowing a bright crimson. Great, he was already late.

Heaving himself up, he headed for the en suite bathroom. After quickly showering and dressing, he made his way downstairs to where the kitchen was. He was hungry - his stomach was doing a fine job in telling him that.

It was just as he began routing his way through the cupboards that he heard it; the handle of the front door rattling, followed by the sound of a key being slipped into the lock. Curious, he grabbed the milk he kept in the fridge and poured it into his coffee, before picking up the steaming mug of the just-brewed liquid and making his way toward the main floor. It was way too early for Keiichiro to be here - the pony-tailed young man usually arrived at about nine, not - he glanced at the clock - eight.

There she stood. A fluffy pink scarf was pulled tight around her neck, matching gloves adorning her hands. Thick, wooly socks covered her legs, leading up to the hem of her long, grey coat. Her skirt had disappeared entirely beneath the lengthy outer-garment; it fell to her knee, big, shiny buttons reaching from about mid-thigh to her collarbone. Her cheeks were flushed, the cold obviously having caused the blood to rush to her face. Her hair was slightly messy, loose strands falling in her eyes and out of her bunches. She held her school briefcase in one hand, a white plastic carrier bag hanging limply from her other arm. It was this that she placed on the nearest table.

"Good morning, Shirogane," she greeted, nodded ever so slightly at him. Ryou could have sworn her cheeks darkened a little as she spoke… but shook it off, realising it was his turn to speak.

"Strawberry… What brings you here?" he asked, before raising his mug to his lips and taking a big gulp. He needed it, were he to keep awake even the duration of her visit.

She motioned to the bag. "Just dropping this off, would you mind putting them in the changing rooms for me? I've got to go…" she trailed off, shooting the door a brief look. Upon seeing his questioning gaze once turning back to him, she added, "Warm clothes. For later. It's so cold outside."

He nodded in understanding, walking forward to take the bag. She began moving bag at almost exactly the same time. Was she avoiding him…? No, it couldn't be - she was looking directly at him now. Straight into his eyes…

"Shirogane…" she began, but stopped and sighed, as if she had changed her mind about what she was going to say. "Thank you," she said instead, as he picked up her bag, and she turned to the door to leave.

"I'll see you later. Don't be late, Strawberry." It was supposed to be a warning, but his tone was softer than usual, more casual, as if it were merely a reminder.

She nodded curtly to show she'd heard, and opened the door to leave. But she paused as she was halfway out, twisting to face him once more. "Shirogane… perhaps you should go back to bed. You look like you need the rest."

And with that, she disappeared, door clicking shut in her behind her. He smiled gratefully. Maybe he'd take her advice, just this once…

Which was how Keiichiro found him, an hour later, curled up in his bed, cup of cold coffee perched forgotten on the desk beside him.

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**A/N: **Reviews brighten my day! Hint, hint. XD


	9. 9th December

**A/N: **It's late. Again. And I'm kinda tired. *stifles yawn*

Another chapter that I've decided to write a bit differently. And again, over 1,000 words - so you better enjoy it! And thanks to Chiharu for reading this one over for me before I posted it!

Warnings: Contains girly problems and slight OOC-ness. Sorry 'bout that.

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_What's happened to poor Ichigo? Has Mint played a trick? It seems though she has, and now presents Ichi must pick. But what's this - a partner? Oh dear what a pain, but another surprise is on the horizon, to shock both once again…_

_

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_If there was one thing that Ichigo loved most of all about Christmas, it was Christmas shopping. The snow, the cheer, the shops upon shops decorated in more tinsel and trees and lights than she ever thought possible - they all made it the most delightful shopping trip of the year. Not a winter went by that she wasn't happy on the day she chose to go present hunting.

…Well, except this one.

Ichigo scowled, tugging her snowflake-decorated scarf tighter around her neck, shoving her now-purple hands into her coat pockets and ignoring the niggling pain in the pit of her stomach. It was freezing, despite the sun hanging low in the clear sky above, and the temperature was beginning to get to her. Snow, which had earlier been pleasant and her main entertainment source, was now starting to make its way into her boots (how, she didn't exactly know), thus succeeding in turning her toes into icicles. And they'd only been out for just over an hour.

…Oh yes. _They._ Because her dearest, dearest friend Mint had decided that this year, they'd try something a little different; buying presents in pairs. That way there wouldn't be the usual amount of presents that were honestly cheap, useless crap, but half the number, so that they would be more expensive, desirable gifts. Or so Mint had argued. The idea would be to club together to buy each of the presents, and they'd later be placed under the café Christmas tree once it had been put up. And whom did her dearest, dearest friend stick her with?

"Strawberry, if the wind changes, your face will freeze like that."

Inside her pockets, Ichigo's hands clenched into fists. "Shut up, Shirogane! I'm busy trying to think of presents we could buy!" she snapped, whirling around on the spot to face him. She glared up at him; he gazed coolly back down at her. Slowly, she felt her temper dropping again, and she released a deep, calming breath.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I shouldn't have snapped like that. Guess this cold's getting to me a bit…" She bowed her head as she spoke, then turned without looking at him. He rolled his eyes, before sticking his hand out and catching her arm as she began to walk away.

"It's alright, baka. I'm used to your constant arguing and yelling and-- well, you know. But if you're cold, why didn't you say so? We can go back and finish this another day," he suggested, a slight smile gracing his lips.

"What…?" she breathed, astounded. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

"Because I can't risk having one of my workers get hypothermia and be off. The café simply wouldn't survive with all the business it's been getting lately," he stated bluntly.

She had to stop herself from slapping a hand to her face. "…And there you go again. Ruining the moment with a comment like that. What a jerky think to say!"

He smirked. "Momomiya, careful now. You're temper's rising again," Ryou warned.

"Yeah, well--! You think I give a damn, Shirogane? When you go being nice to me one second, then a jerk the next, then you'll be all bossy and rude, and then-- and, and then--!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. But instantly she doubled over, clutching her sides, as an abrupt pain tore through her lower stomach. "Ah! Ow!" she cried, wincing.

Ryou froze. His eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open. "S-Strawberry?" he stuttered. With a brief shake of his head, he gained back his ability to move and gingerly stepped forward towards Ichigo. Cautiously, he placed a hand on her shoulder, moving the other one to tilt her chin up and stifling a gasp when he saw the blood trickling down her chin.

"Oh, oh crap! What's wrong? What's happened? Are your Mew genetics malfunctioning? Does your head hurt? Where's that blood coming from? Should I call an ambulance or should--"

"Shirogane!"

He stopped. And stared, bewildered. She was giggling - still holding her stomach and her face still showing signs of pain - but she was giggling nonetheless.

"Don't fret so much, Shirogane. It's totally natural; I'll be ok in a couple hours. I shouldn't have ignored this earlier, is all," she grinned.

"W-what?"

"You know what happens every… um… month… to girls, right?" She blushed as he nodded. "Well…" She gestured to herself. His eyes narrowed in thought, before it dawned on him.

"Oh…"

"Yeah…" Her blush darkened. "Well, I'll not die. I'm just shocked because it came on so suddenly, but I should have predicted that. It hurts, but I'll be fine. I need to go home, though."

Ryou nodded again, speechless. There wasn't much he could fathom to say in this situation - he never thought he'd ever be in it. She took a step forward, wincing as she did so. Just as she was about to take another, she felt the ground fall away beneath her, and was immediately aware of being swept up off her feet.

"Shi-Shirogane?" she questioned, confused.

"You looked like you were having trouble. I'll carry you home, baka. Just this once - and don't you dare tell anyone about this, ok?"

She sighed. "Ok. Whatever, Shirogane. If I wasn't in so much pain right now, I'd demand you put me down. But, since I am…" She trailed off, gazing at the snow-covered road ahead of them. Snowflakes were beginning to drift lazily down from the sky above, swirling around in the air. She glanced up to see that a cloud had floated its way into the sky, and as she did so, a small wet snowflake landed on her nose, melting instantly.

"One more thing, Strawberry…" She turned back to him at the sound of her name being called, blinking at him as if it were a prompt for him to continue. He took it as one. "Where did that blood come from? The stuff trickling down your chin?"

"Hmm? Oh, I just bit my lip too hard when the pain started. Silly me."

"…So you're not dying?"

"No, Shirogane, I'm not dying," she laughed.

"Well then, if that's the case… You better be at work on time tomorrow. And after your shift, we'll have to come out shopping again."

She groaned. Typical Shirogane.

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**A/N: ***holds out hands* Reviews, please?


	10. 10th December

**A/N: **Slightly shorter than the last two, but I'm tired. Updating this fic is keeping me up at night. *sighs* Anyway, I just realised there's no rhyme in this one - but I haven't got time to write one, so I'm afraid it'll have to do without for now. I'll re-upload it at the weekend with one in.

The tinsel idea in this chapter was taken from what I today. I just love wearing tinsel!

Enjoy and review, pretty please!

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"Shirogane-san, let me be the first to say that you are completely and utterly out of your mind."

"I'll second that, Onee-sama!"

"…I'm sure you will, Mint."

"Aww, Pudding looks so pretty, na no da!"

"Hey! How come she gets to wear that elf-suit and I'm stuck in this?!"

"Calm down, baka. It's not that bad."

"…Did you just compliment me, Shirogane?"

"Oh, now would you look at that. Shirogane forcing Ichigo to wear, ahem, _that _and then telling her she looks nice. I think something's going on - wouldn't you agree, Onee-sama?"

"You know, I actually do, Mint. But only because something has been going on for a long time now."

"What's been going on, na no da? Pudding wants to know! …Oh, is this about Shirogane-nii-san and Ichigo-onee-chan being in love and-- _mmph!" _

"Ichigo! Don't smother Pudding!"

"…She started it. I just want her to shut up, is all."

"Well there's no need for that!"

"…I'm all for it."

"Shirogane-san! How could you?"

"Um… anou… what's going on?"

They all turned at once to face the entrance. Lettuce stood at the doors, schoolbag clutched tightly in her hands and a furious blush covering her cheeks. She shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, staring at the other Mews' outfits. Suddenly, she became very fearful for her own clothing's fate.

"I don't have to wear that, do I?" she asked meekly, gesturing quickly to the girls.

Ryou smirked. "But of course. Your costume is hanging up in the changing rooms, Lettuce. You'll like it; don't worry." She nodded quickly - a brief bob of the head - before scampering off in the direction of the changing rooms. The occupants of the room watched her leave.

"Poor girl," Mint sighed, shaking her head. "She's not going to come out, you know. She'll hide in there forever."

"Because of stupid Shirogane and these stupid outfits, and it's all stupid, stupid, stupid!" Ichigo muttered huffily, folding her arms over the tinsel that was dangling from her neck down her torso. However, the scratchy stuff quickly became irritating, and she began pulling at it in frustration.

"Strawberry, are you really that much of an idiot? You just said 'stupid' five times in the same sentence."

"…Arrgh! Shut up, Shirogane!" she scowled, now deciding to tear at the silver tinsel furiously in an attempt to remove it. Which, of course, failed completely.

"Ah, ah, ah. You owe me for yesterday, remember?" he reminded her, smugly. Upon hearing this, Mint smiled slyly.

"What was that, Shirogane-san? What happened yesterday?" she questioned, feigning innocence. She clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head, craving the piece of juicy gossip she was sure was lingering somewhere. Ryou opened his mouth to reply, but one glance at Ichigo's fuming expression was all it took for him to snap it shut again. Mint didn't have to know _everything,_ now did she? Besides, he knew that it would wind her up if she was out of the loop for once.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," he smirked, looking at Ichigo as he spoke. Her face instantly softened, and she smiled back at him. Of course, this was all it took to set Mint off.

"Oh, oh I see. It's like that, is it? Something romantic happened between you two and now you're keeping it a secret?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Mint, shut up and get to work or you're fired," Ryou stated bluntly. Mint was taken aback by the warning - and perturbed by the fact that she may no longer have a chance to work alongside her idol each day if she didn't comply, she scurried off. This left Ryou and Ichigo alone in the centre of the café floor; Zakuro and Pudding had seemingly departed without it going noticed by the others.

They stared silently at each other, ignoring Pudding as she came rushing through the middle of them on her way to the other side of the café, squealing delightedly. Nervous under his cerulean gaze, Ichigo tugged at the hem of her Santa-dress, and readjusted her Santa-hat.

"Um, Shirogane? Why exactly _do _we have to wear these--" she gestured to herself, "--costumes?"

"Keiichiro was complaining the café wasn't Christmas-y enough for his liking, so I thought it would be a good idea to liven the spirit up a bit."

"…So you made us wear Santa-dresses? And tinsel? And hats? …And cat-ears?"

"Strawberry, the ears are your own, you baka."

"Nyah?!" she shrieked, patting at the furry animal-attributes sat delicately on her head. When they wouldn't go down, she quickly gave up, deciding just to pull her hat over them instead. Which was when she got her brilliant idea.

"Shirogane, I totally dare you to dress up as Santa."

"…Not gonna happen. Ever."

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**A/N: **Famous last words, Ryou. XD

Don't forget to review!


	11. 11th December

**A/N: **Yes, I know this one is late. But I hope you'll accept my humblest apologies - I had an extremely bad day yesterday, and just wasn't able to post it. But it's up now (a little on the fluffy side, but hopefully there's some humour in here somewhere). I'll post the one that was meant for today in a few hours. In the meantime, enjoy this one!

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_Yet another day of December, and they're at it once again, cute little arguments, banter friend-to-friend. But why is it - I wonder, that she goes to him for help, when she could've asked a Mew Mew, or even bandaged it herself…_

_

* * *

_Small and green, so delicate yet strong, with blood red berries hanging in clusters from the stems holding the bunch together; it was beautiful, mesmerizing, and so… begging for Ichigo to touch it. At least, that was the excuse she used when twenty minutes later, she rushed into the café, shrieking about the scarlet liquid trickling down her arm.

She whimpered as Ryou wrapped the bandage tighter around her hand. He glanced up at her - taking in her quivering lip and big, brimming chocolate eyes - and chuckled. Her head cocked to the side at the sound, but he ignored her movement, focusing back on cleaning and dressing her wound.

"You really ought to be more careful, baka Strawberry," he muttered. She winced as he tugged on the bandage, before pouting.

"I _was_ being careful. It's not my fault--" She cut herself off mid-sentence, upon seeing the disbelieving expression that overcame Ryou's face. "...Ok, so maybe it was my fault. But I didn't think that--" He was still staring at her in the same, 'yeah, right' kind of way; Ichigo sighed. "Alright, so I knew it would hurt me. But I wanted to touch it anyway! It just looked so pretty!"

"That doesn't mean you have to reach out and grab a whole branch. It's holly for God's sake - the edges are deliberately, and _extremely clearly_ spiked! Only a moron would grab a handful of holly." He shot her a brief look. "Well, ok, I suppose that does give you some excuse--"

He ducked as she made a swipe at his head with her other hand.

"Now, now. No need for that. Especially not when I was kind enough to help you," he chided, deliberately prodding her bandage, and in doing so caused her to squeak. She mock-glared at him, before rolling her eyes and jumping off of the table she was currently sat atop of.

"Yeah, yeah," she drawled. "Be nice to Shirogane, because he's _always _nice to me." The sarcasm practically poured from her mouth, resulting in a small smile gracing Ryou's lips. Ichigo stared at him, incredulously.

"Shirogane, did you just… smile?" she breathed.

He shrugged carelessly, his smile broadening a little. "Yeah, I guess so. And Strawberry?"

"Hmm?" She blinked, stooping to grab her schoolbag lying discarded on the floor, but nodded to show him he could continue.

"You can call me Ryou from now on. But only when the other Mews aren't around."

Again, Ichigo found herself taken aback by the blonde boy before her. Then, a few seconds later, she smiled warmly at him. "Ok," she said, before adding softly, "Ryou." His name rolled off her tongue so easily, effortlessly, that it was as though her lips had been made to fit around the word; her tongue curled around it with a fluentness that made the sole time she spoke it sound less foreign to her ears.

He tried to force back the grin that was creeping across his lips. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yes, but remember: no using it when the others are around. We don't want them getting the wrong idea, now do we?"

"Mint's already got the wrong idea," Ichigo muttered. She adjusted her hold on her schoolbag. "I should probably get back. Else I'll be late for lessons. And I really don't need another detention." She laughed, seemingly amused by the thought. He rolled his eyes at her.

Ichigo turned to leave, but before she made it to the door, a question popped up in her head. "Ryou… well I was wondering… you know, since we have to dress up in these Christmas costumes, maybe you could--"

"No, Momomiya, for the last time, I am _not _dressing up as Santa Claus."

However, she had that glint in her eye - the scheming, mischievous one she always got when assured she could convince him of something - and he inhaled sharply. For a moment, the two stood there, silently staring at each other as the clock ticked by. Then, sticking her tongue out at him, she swiveled and left, calling behind her as she went, "You will, Shirogane! I know you will!"

Ryou shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, at the exact same time that Keiichiro wandered through the open door of the café.

"Good morning, Ryou," he greeted kindly, removing his coat and walking towards his younger friend.

"Morning, Keii."

"What was Ichigo-san doing here?" the chef asked curiously. In reply, all he got was a nonchalant shrug. Sighing, he continued, "Oh, and I was wondering if you could help me with something…?"

Ryou quirked an eyebrow as a prompt for him to carry on.

"Well, you see, there was some holly in the park, and it looked so pretty and just begging to be touched, so…"

"Oh! Not you too!"

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**A/N: **Like it? Love it? Not like it at all? Let me know! Review, please!


	12. 12th December

**A/N: **Well, it's an update, at least.

My excuse? I've had the worst weekend I can ever remember having, and it's thrown me back one. Today wasn't so bad, but I've been busy, so I only had time to write the drabble I owed for yesterday - and a short one, at that. I'm very, very sorry for this; I'll be trying to update each day, but for the time being, I'll be one day behind. Possibly two, because tomorrow is a busy day for me as well. But I'm trying, and I'll be able to catch up by next weekend, because after Tuesday I've pretty much got more free-time.

Well, enjoy the update and please review.

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_Now Ryou and Ichi are really sweet, we all agree on that, but it's time to take a break from them, a change of scene from our cats. So where else to look but outside in the park, where Pudding's having fun, and Lettuce is standing faithfully by, in case she's needed by the smaller one…_

_

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_A thin layer of frost covered the path she walked along, causing her to slip and slide on the frictionless ground. She attempted to gain her balance, get her footing and just walk… but was finding that simple task increasingly difficult.

Sighing, Lettuce watched her younger companion dashing about; Pudding was darting in amongst the trees, swinging from the branches and skipping along the same path Lettuce was struggling to walk on. Somehow, Pudding had super-balance skills. Maybe it came from her monkey genetics? Readjusting the schoolbooks in her arms, she glanced down at her hands thoughtfully, pondering over her own Mew DNA.

But a sudden cry interrupted her quiet musings, and her head snapped up in search of the noise. Locating the source - an overly hyper Pudding on the other side of the row of trees they were walking between - she headed off to catch up.

Emerging from behind the trees, she called, "Anou… Pudding-chan? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, na no da! Eeeep! Look what I can do Lettuce-onee-chan!" came the cheerful chirp. So the green-haired girl scanned the new scenery for the small blonde girl.

And she swore her heart almost stopped.

"Pudding-chan! Get off of there! That ice isn't going to hold your weight!" she shrieked, eyes going wide as she lurched forward, her glasses almost slipping off her face at the rapid movement. Her hands flew up and clasped in front of her chest, worry etched into every part of her rigid body.

But Pudding's appearance was a complete contrast to Lettuce's. She paused mid-twirl, one leg in the air and arms high above her head. Her expression was one of complete childish innocence; big, brown eyes blinking cutely, lips curved around the small "Oh" that exited her mouth. She stayed like that a minute, still and silent. Then she grinned, and returned to flitting across the iced-over pond.

"Don't worry, onee-chan! I'll be careful, na no da!" she cried, waving at the elder girl.

"B-but Pudding-chan! The ice will crack; you'll fall in!" Lettuce countered. She took a few steps forward, edging her way to the bank of the frozen pond. "Y-you better come back here - quick, before it breaks!"

Her attempts to reel the young girl back in were met with joyful giggles. But soon, the monkey-girl realised her friend was beginning to panic over her safety. "Ok, I'll come back now."

Instantly, a small amount of relief washed over Lettuce, and as she watched her friend come closer to the bank, that relief grew and grew. When Pudding was back on perfectly-solid ground again, she smiled and walked over to embrace her.

"Please don't scare me like that again, Pudding-chan," Lettuce whispered into her hair.

"Mm'kay," Pudding chirped back, beaming. Upon seeing a wandering duckling, she ran off to catch it, squealing as she did so.

Lettuce breathed deeply, turning to gaze out at the pond. And, much like the snowy world around them, she froze once again. The middle of the ice was beginning to crack, and the crack was beginning to spread. Wide-eyed, she stared as the entire pond broke and shattered, ice slipping into the now uncovered water.

And when Pudding came back, clutching the cute little duckling protectively in her hands, all she was able to get from Lettuce was a squeak.

Before she promptly fainted, of course.

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**A/N: **Just some Lettuce and Pudding friendship, to take a break from all the Ryou x Ichigo fluff. I'll be back to writing RxI next update. Was it any good? Review and let me know, please.


	13. 13th December

**A/N: **So I'm two drabbles behind, right? I'm sorry! But I'm going to try and catch up by the weekend, so hopefully it's no worries, ne? My schoolwork is virtually finished for two or three weeks now, so I'll have more writing time. Which is good. ^_^

The rhyme in this has a bit of a teaser of what's to come; just letting you know because it doesn't have all too much to do with this chapter. But, this is actually my favourite update so far - I'm pretty pleased at how it turned out.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please keep submitting them!

Enjoy!

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_The most fun at Christmas, that a Mew could ever see, is stringing up the fairy lights, and decorating the tree. Up goes the holly wreath; tinsel, baubles and all, and Mint's saving the mistletoe, to hang up at the ball…_

_

* * *

_The café was hosting a riot. That was the only logical explanation for all the utter chaos that Zakuro could come up with, as she entered the tall, pink doors that morning and was greeted with the scene before her. Pudding swung blissfully back and forth on a giant ribbon that hung from the lights; beneath her, a distressed Lettuce hopped about frantically, trying to coax the younger child down. Keiichiro was sticking pink and gold tinsel to the door leading to the kitchen, smiling and humming cheerily, as though oblivious to the goings-on around him. Mint, for once, sat working - sifting through old, slightly crumpled cardboard boxes, and pulling out ornaments and other decorations she deemed 'worthy' to go up in the café. And of course, right smack-bang in the middle of everything were Ryou and Ichigo. Fighting. Again.

Zakuro took all this in, and then blinked. Café life as usual, then.

She wandered over to a nearby table, and dumped her bags on one of the chairs. After removing her jacket, scarf and gloves, she straightened herself up, and turned her ears onto the blonde and red-head's conversation. Instantly, she found herself rolling her eyes. Typical, they _would _be fighting about such a trivial thing as that, wouldn't they?

But still, she found herself listening in to their, ahem, 'discussion', with an amused interest. Her eyebrow quirked, and she leaned all her weight onto her left leg, letting her hip jut out to the side and folding her arms neatly over her chest. Once she was comfortable, she focused her full attention on them.

"…but you did it last year!" Ichigo was complaining. "It's about time someone else got a go!" She stamped her foot, throwing her arms up into the air. Her hand was still bandaged from her accident with the holly (which the Mews had all discovered yesterday - causing much teasing on Ichigo's behalf), and it waved about madly in the air as she began flailing her arms about. This sight was rather humourous, and Zakuro found herself fighting back a laugh.

"So?" Ryou countered, his own hands placed firmly on his hips. "Do you think that gives _you_ the right to be able to do it? Way I see it, Strawberry, you wouldn't be able to with your injured hand, anyway." He smirked smugly when she was unable to think of a comeback straight away.

But soon enough, a small smile graced her lips, and she spoke once again, much to Ryou's discontent. "That gives me all the more right. I'm hurt, so you should pity me and let me put the star on top of the tree." Her smile widened into a triumphant grin as she finished, thinking that her reasoning was more than justified. However, Ryou shattered her argument once again.

"And just how will you get up there, baka?"

"Um…" she trailed off, placing an index finger to her lower lip in thought. Pondering a moment, she tried to come up with an answer that would overcome his question. But the practicality of the situation was glaringly unachievable, and she could think of no logic to balance it out. Although… her face lit up in wonder, and then her features narrowed and settled into a sly, devious expression. "So tell me, Shirogane, how did you manage to reach up there last year?"

For a brief millisecond, his face flashed with surprise, but as quick as it came it leveled out again, giving the illusion of complete calmness. "Why would I tell you?"

"Because if you were able to do it last year, then there must be a way for _me _to do it this year. And that way will most likely be the same way. So hah! In your face, Shirogane! I win!" In that moment, she was victorious for the first time against Ryou - a feat never thought to be possible. Of course, she ruined it when she stuck her tongue out, childishly blowing a raspberry at him in a celebration of her success.

Zakuro released a quiet - near-silent - snort of amusement. It seemed, though, that Ryou wasn't going to let her win that easily. He opened his mouth, about to protest-- when Zakuro decided she had had enough of their immaturity towards such a minor task. Turning away, she strode over to Mint, who was still sorting through the boxes. Peering over her shoulder, she tried to locate the item that was causing such a fuss. Finding it, she snatched it up and walked away before Mint even knew what was happening.

She wandered over to the arguing couple - for she thought of them as a couple now - but carried on past them. Ichigo went on shouting at the elder boy, totally unaware of the wolf-Mew's presence drifting by, but Ryou's head darted up and his cerulean eyes followed her as she moved.

"Where do you think you're going with that?" he called out after her. This caused Ichigo to stop abruptly, mid-word, and turn to the purple-haired girl in confusion. Zakuro merely shot a curt glance over her shoulder at the two, and carried on in her task.

Reaching the tall, café Christmas tree, she pulled over a chair and stood atop it. Rising up onto her toes, she took the shining, golden star and placed it on top of the tree's point. Ryou and Ichigo watched in bewilderment as she jumped down again, lifting the chair and popping it back in its place under a table.

Striding back to the two of them - and once again passing them by - she called, "Next time, don't take so long deciding who's going to do the job. Someone may just jump in and do it instead." And then she did a very un-Zakuro-like thing. She winked.

That'd teach them.

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**A/N: **So some RxI in Zakuro's perspective; it was fun to write.

Click the lovely green button, please!


	14. 14th December

**A/N: **Fourteenth drabble, and this one's short and fluffy. I'm about half-way done with this fic, ne?

A short author's note, because I really shouldn't be up at this time.

Enjoy!

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_The main floor was finished, pretty decorations all put up; tinsel, baubles, trees and lights, but it seems that's not enough. For there's one room in the café, that's untouched by all this cheer, so Ichigo's taken it upon herself, to right the wrong that's here…_

_

* * *

_"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring, snowing and blowing up bushels of fun, now the jingle hop has begun, jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell r--"

"Momomiya, please. Shut up. You're atrocious singing is giving me a headache."

Ichigo spun around on her heel to glare huffily at Ryou, who was leant back on his bed with a newspaper clutched between his hands. He stared calmly back at her.

"What's wrong, Shirogane? Not like Christmas songs?" she questioned, dropping her gaze from his and turning back to string tinsel up along his doorframe.

"Not really. They're too… what's the word I'm looking for… 'cheery', for my taste. Plus, they're all so… commercialized." He snorted, flipping the page he was currently on.

She sighed. "Next you'll be saying 'Bah humbug', Shirogane," she muttered beneath her breath - but in a room so small and a distance so close between them, he still heard it and chuckled lightly.

She went back to hanging decorations around his room, and he continued to read. Until, of course, she made her way towards him and leaned over his head to reach the lone picture that decorated his wall.

"Um, Strawberry?" he asked, a note of discomfort working its way into his tone.

"Mhmm?" she acknowledged, deftly snapping some sticky tape from the huge ring of it and using it to attach the tinsel to the perimeter of the photo.

"Just what are you doing?" He let go of the paper, and it fell into his lap. Ichigo tilted her head so that she looked down at him.

"I'm decorating, Shirogane. Your room wasn't Christmas-y," she replied simply.

"Maybe I didn't want it to be Christmas-y," he retorted, grabbing hold of her waist. She tensed a little at the contact, but didn't flinch away like he'd expected. Instead, she carried on sticking tinsel to his photo.

"Bah humbug, Shirogane," she murmured. He kept his hold on her for several moments - long enough for her to finish with the decoration - but still she did not move. Eventually, her hands stopped, and after a pause, she slowly brought them down to her sides. So he waited; waited for her to tug and shriek and squirm away from his grasp… But…

But she didn't.

"Strawberry, are you feeling alright?" His eyes gazed up at her, curiosity shining within them. This was out of character for her, however--

"I could ask you the same thing, Ryou."

--it was out of character for him, too. He would never usually grab her like this, hold her, wrap his arms tighter around her small waist; watch her in such a way that allowed his emotions to sparkle clearly, so that she would be able to tell what he was feeling with just one, brief glance.

And that was where he let go.

"It's about time you got to your lessons, Ichigo. Else you'll be late again."

She hesitated, inhaling sharply. But quickly she nodded and turned to flee the room. He heard the sounds of her scuffling down the hallway, as he did each morning now; why she had suddenly taken it upon herself to visit him every single morning was beyond him, but he couldn't complain. The company was… welcomed. Gratefully.

Once Ryou could no longer hear her footsteps, he twisted his body and made a reach for the tinsel above him.

"Don't even think about removing that, Ryou!"

His hand dropped obediently to his side when he heard her shout. True, she was headed out of the café - no doubt lingering by the door - but still he followed her command. After all, she'd only put it back up later if he took it down, and that would only lead to the same situation they'd just been in…

Swiftly, his arm darted upwards, and tore the tinsel down.

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**A/N: **Review please!


	15. 15th December

**A/N: **Yes, yes, I know. I'm waaaaay behind. I'll try and catch up this weekend, along with the two oneshots I need to write. Why do all my deadlines have to be on Christmas?

Enjoy this chapter - I had it written the other day, but didn't have time to post it. Hopefully, there should be another one of these updated by the end of the day... only if I get reviews for this one, though. :P

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_Fluff, fluff and more fluff, meaning fluffiness galore, making its home in blushing cheeks, but living behind closed doors. Now it seems an unlikely hero, will bring further together the two, and getting lost in the snow outside, is all it needs to do…_

_

* * *

_She hadn't expected to find it, all curled up in a ball and shaking in the cold snow. But she did - coming across it as she tripped and stumbled over it's slight form; buried beneath a blanket of freshly lain snow, so small she had completely missed it. Stooping down, she scooped the poor creature into her arms, running straight for the café.

Bursting through the doors, she cried out for Ryou; the blonde immediately came through from the kitchen, curious to know what she was fussing about this time. But as soon as he saw it, he stole it from her, steering her towards the kitchen hastily.

--

"You think she's going to be ok?" Ichigo asked worriedly, chewing on her lip and clasping her hands tightly beneath her chin. She stared at the kitten's fluffy form, now dry but still shivering on the kitchen counter. It's eyes were closed firmly, it's tail wrapped protectively around it's body.

Ryou thought for a moment, shooting glances between Ichigo and the baby cat, and finally sighing. "I don't know, Strawberry. I really don't know." His hand tugged through his hair uneasily. "But it was lucky you found her when you did; she would have been a goner if it'd been any later. Or worse, had she not been found at all--"

"…Shirogane?"

"--and she was all alone too. If she'd had family, that might have improved the chances of her survival if you hadn't found her. But she had no-one... She had to have come from somewhere, thoguh. Which only leads to the question of where, exactly - and where her family are--"

"Shirogane?"

"--because kittens are always born in a litter. I've never heard of a single birth when it comes to felines before. In that case, we should probably go look for the others before it's too l--"

"RYOU!"

Startled, Ryou turned to stare at Ichigo incredulously, taken aback by her outburst. He just blinked at her; a sign for her to speak, she thought. May as well while she had his attention.

"Don't weigh so much over the negatives, Ryou. The fact is we found her; I only wanted to know if you thought she'd survive." Ichigo folded her arms across her chest and stared levelly at the blonde boy.

Shaking his head to snap himself out of his stupor, Ryou replied, "Oh. Well, um, she might, Strawberry. If we keep her warm and get her strength back up, she might." It wasn't like him to stutter, and he mentally scolded himself for his lack of verbal fluentness. His outwards appearance returned to neutral, even as he silently yelled at himself.

"See, now that's all I wanted to hear," Ichigo spoke softly, a sweet smile gracing her lips. Ryou had to cast his eyes away to avoid gazing at them. He lowered his head in an attempt to prevent her seeing the blush that rose up his cheeks, but she ruined that. Stepping forward, she brought her fingers to his chin, tucking them under and pushing up - successfully raising his head once again.

His cerulean eyes met hers. And in that moment, the world froze. Everything stopped moving, stopped making noise, just… stopped. Everything bar what went on in his mind. His thoughts whirled round and round in his head; this was dangerous, he knew. Because one of them would slip out, out of his mouth and into her ears. And he feared it would be the wrong thing; he wasn't ready to tell her just yet. But no matter how much he tried to control his thoughts, they wouldn't listen. Instead, what he feared happening… happened.

"Strawberry, I… there's something I need to tell you," Ryou whispered. "It's… something very important."

"Hmm?" she prompted, blinking - but to Ryou it appeared as though she was fluttering her eyelashes. He inhaled sharply, holding his breath a moment.

"I… For a while now, I've--"

"Meow."

Both blinked bewilderedly at one another, a simultaneous "Huh?" escaping their lips.

"Meow."

They spun to face the counter, and found a small, cute fluffy head facing back at them. The kitten's wide, blue eyes gazed up at them wondrously, and she tried to stand on unsteady paws. Her legs shook violently under her body weight, and quickly gave way, causing her to fall back down.

With an "Aww" Ichigo scurried over to the table, scooping the little kitten up and hugging her tightly.

"Careful, Strawberry," Ryou chided.

"I know, I know," she replied with a roll of her eyes… but she loosened her hold slightly.

Ryou sighed as he watched her fuss over the small feline. Cats had the worst timing, didn't they? He thought for a moment; yes, he supposed he did.

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**A/N: **Please review!


	16. 16th December

**A/N: **So, my third update in total for today. As such, I don't really have much to say, other than please review.

So enjoy!

* * *

_Now comes round that time again, that last time was cut short, due to, ahem, problems on Ichigo's part, and the two left with nothing bought. So put on your snowboots, hats scarves and gloves, and wrap up warm and tight, because it's time to go shopping again, against Ryou's will and might…_

_

* * *

_"I'm not going."

She looked at him pleadingly; he shook his head. There was no way she was getting him to agree to doing that _again. _No way, no how, not a chance in hell--

"The sooner we do it, the quicker it'll be over," she reasoned.

He took a couple seconds to debate this over in his head. True, he did like how the logic worked out, but… but that would mean actually going out now and doing it. Why couldn't they wait until later?

"You have your work shift, Momomiya," he argued, smirking triumphantly at his predicted victory. However, of course, it was only his prediction. And he quickly found out just how wrong he was about that particular matter.

"Shirogane, it's already way past my work time. I'm finished for the day. Which means we can go Christmas shopping!" she declared, grabbing his arm and proceeding to drag him out of the café and into the cold.

The snow was melting, turning the once fluffy, white blanket into a mushy, grey slush. It sloshed under their feet, transforming into puddles as it was crushed. More snow fell in clumps off branches, from where it had been caught in the trees, hitting the ground with a _thump! _The roads were clear, traffic moving freely about them now. Ichigo sighed. She'd hoped the snow would last; she wanted a white Christmas this year. But if the snow kept melting, that wouldn't be the case. As she walked, an idea popped into her head - one she couldn't suppress.

Twisting to face the blonde boy she was dragging behind her, she asked, "Shirogane, would you like a White Christmas?"

He cocked his head to the side, a little confused as to where her question had come from, but searching for an answer, all the same. Finally, he came up with one. "No, Strawberry. I don't."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?" she shrieked. "Why not?"

He winced at the volume, but answered all the same. "Because it's impractical. You'll never get anywhere if there's snow blocking the roads. Do you want to be stuck in the house the whole day on Christmas?"

"Well… no, I guess not. But I could always walk wherever I want to go. I mean, that's healthier, too, right? So there you go." She smiled. Ryou tried to turn away. She was doing that a lot lately, smiling, and it was unnerving him. Her smile was just so… tempting. And he hated it; hated that he couldn't look at it, for fear of doing something stupid. Something he'd regret when she rejected him.

"Yes, I suppose you could," he sighed, resigning and allowing her to win the argument this time. He really had no desire to fight with her at the moment. She was startled by his backing-down, but didn't question it. If he didn't want to have a friendly quarrel, then something must be up, and she shouldn't push him. But she was part-cat, and that feline side of her was just squirming with curiosity. Against her will, she found herself opening her mouth to speak.

"Ryou… are you ok?"

"Hm? Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Strawberry. Just thinking."

That was her sign to shut up. But she couldn't. So she opened her mouth again, following the urge her body was giving her. However, she didn't do what she had expected to. Instead of talking to him, she found her lips planted against his.

Butterflies swirled in her stomach, and she whimpered slightly when he began forcefully kissing her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his found their way to her waist.

And as if by magic, snow started falling again, swirling around the two as they stood in the middle of the park, their shopping trip completely forgotten…

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**A/N: **Until tomorrow~ Review please!


	17. 17th December

**A/N: **Ok, this is officially my most-chaptered fic. And I still have another... *counts on fingers* eight drabbles to go! Though it'll be finished on Friday. If I'm really lucky, I'll be able to get a triple-update out tomorrow. But no promises.

I really like this chapter - it was fun to write, and if I had more time, I'd have extended it. But ah well, it wasn't to be. Anyway, be kind and review, ne? If you want a triple-update, you better! :P

* * *

_Certain events of yesterday, will come back to haunt Ichigo, because it's not everyday that you see outside, her kissing Shirogane in the snow. Of course no-one else knows yet, but Mint is sure to find out, with tricks and treats and lots of sweets; but Mint be careful when Ryou's about…_

_

* * *

_Of course, this meant things were going to change.

Mint noticed it when, the following day, she saw Ichigo drifting about the café with a silver tray clutched in her hands, but really doing nothing with it. The red-head was staring into space and sighing deeply every few minutes. This meant one thing, and one thing only - and to Doctor Mint, it was as clear as daylight: Ichigo was lovesick.

So naturally, Mint - being the good friend and self-proclaimed 'Love Doctor' of the café - sidled over to the smitten catgirl, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Quickly, she assessed the patient from a closer distance; glazed over eyes - check, goofy smile - check, deep, meaningful sighs - check, hands over heart - almost check (she debated a couple of seconds over whether or not the tray slid between the patient's hands and heart counted. But then it struck her that Ichigo could be imagining Ryou as the tray, and therefore would justify why she was clutching it so longingly against her chest).

Once the assessment was complete, Mint nodded to herself, before dashing out of the room to get the much-needed 'medical' supplies. Racing back into the room, she laid out the items on one of the café tables. Quickly, she ran to Ichigo, and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the floor and forcing her down into one of the seats surrounding Mint's chosen table. As soon as she had done that (and having successfully managed to snap Ichigo out of whatever daydream she was having), Mint flopped down on the chair beside her best friend. Never, had she ever ran so fast in all her time as a regular girl.

It was tiring being the Love Doctor.

Still, she needed to treat her sick victim-- um, friend. So she sat upright in her chair, straightening out her back and folding her hands in her lap. For a moment, she and Ichigo sat and stared at each other; one completely puzzled, and the other scrutinizing and searching. Finding whatever she was looking for, Mint relaxed slightly, making a grab for the box that lay closest to her. She opened it, not once taking her eyes off Ichigo. The Wildcat seemed to shuffle uncomfortably in her seat, somehow expecting what was to come.

But then Mint did something completely _unexpected. _

"Chocolate?" the Lorikeet offered, holding the box out towards the red-head. She'd plucked one out for herself, and was delicately popping it into her mouth.

Nervously, Ichigo reached out a cautious hand and took a chocolate. She quickly ate it, still staring perplexedly at her friend. "What is this about?" she asked, suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just… well, have you seen Shirogane-san today?" Mint said, feigning casualness. She waved her hand around absently, adding to the effect of carelessness. She inwardly smirked; Ichigo was totally buying this act. Her chocolate eyes had shot open wide, her mouth moving like a goldfish's.

"Wha-- Huh?! W-why would you ask s-something like… that? I mean… why would I kn-know anything to do with Ry-- I mean Shirogane?" she stuttered. But she'd made a fatal mistake, and Mint went in for the kill.

"Oh, oh now did you hear that? You almost called him Ryou. Oh, oh my, Ichigo. Are you even allowed to do that? If he heard you…"

Fatal error number two: "He wouldn't do anything if he heard me! I'm allowed to call him Ryou! He said so himself… Eep!" She smacked her hands to her mouth, realising all too late what she had juts said.

"You know what I think?" Mint began in a sly whisper, leaning closer over the tabletop to Ichigo. "I think you and Shirogane-san are an item." Her bottom lips curled over her top, in a gesture of complete smug satisfaction. And upon seeing Ichigo's reaction, this expression was only enhanced.

"We are not an item! It was just a kiss!"

"A kiss!" Mint squealed delightedly, reeling back in her chair. Her hands grasped the edge of the table gently, her smug look vanishing, only to be replaced by a genuine grin. "That's a step forward! Now, how was it? Tell me _all _about it!"

This time, Ichigo slapped her hands to her entire face, muttering "Stupid, stupid, stupid" beneath her breath. Sighing, she was just about to answer Mint when…

"Where did the box of chocolates go? And all the other Christmas candy?" came Ryou's annoyed call from the kitchen.

Ichigo looked at Mint, looked down at the sweet-stash littered across the table, and then looked back up at Mint again. "You didn't…" she muttered, horrified.

"…Maybe I did…"

Briefly exchanging glances, the two girls bolted out of their seats and fled the room. They just hoped they'd make it to the changing rooms before Ryou caught them.

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**A/N: **It must be the holiday spirit, because I'm really getting more and more into all this writing! As such, I'm going to write more now, but I can't update tonight. Eh, being kicked off the computer... ^^;

Anyway, review pretty please!

xoxo


	18. 18th December

**A/N: **First update of the day!

Ok, so **platinumstrawberry56 **requested I do a Pudding x Tart drabble, and at the time, I didn't think I'd be able to because I wasn't planning on having the aliens in this story. But! Since she's constantly reviewed and reminded me of updating when I was falling behind, I thought I owed it to her to figure out a way to include it. So here it is!

Don't expect many laughs for this one - it's not much of a humour drabble. But still, I hope you like it.

**IMPORTANT:** Now, here's the thing: I'm at 70 reviews for this fic now, and if I get to 100 by the time it's finished, I'll start a new RxI chaptered fic - not a series of drabbles, but an actual story! AND I'll try my hardest to update Strawberry Shrieks before my 16th birthday (end of March). So, review, review, review if you want those!

* * *

_Now it's about time to get Christmas-y, what with the big day looming near, so get out and shout to the heavens above, and spread some holiday cheer. The café's all decorated and pretty, the girls are all dressed to impress, but uh-oh here comes trouble now, to turn all their hard work into mess…_

_

* * *

_They hadn't been expected. No, of course they hadn't. Things had been quiet for months - ever since the invasion was declared over earlier that year, and they had retreated back to their home planet in peace. They'd never shown signs of attacking again; never held any noticeable hostilities towards the Mew Mews. And yet, on that particular 18th December, the youngest one showed up and ruined everything…

Tinsel had been torn down, baubles smashed and scattered across the floor, lights broken and strewn all over. And the tree was laid dejectedly on its side, several branches snapped off and discarded elsewhere around the room. To be perfectly honest, there had never been a silence quite like the one that dominated Café Mew Mew. All seven stared in horror at what had once been the beautifully organized main floor - now a disastrous, undignified mess. No-one spoke for what seemed like hours. And perhaps it was; never was there a time so great that the normally cheerful place had been plunged into soundlessness. It was like a vacuum; restricting, choking, empty.

Eventually, unable to cope with seeing the ruined remains any longer, Pudding turned on her heel and fled the café. She ran and ran, until she came across a clearing in the tree-ridden sector of the park, and flung herself down onto the soft, crisp snow to cry. And cry she did. Tears welled in her eyes and poured down her cheeks, dropping down onto the blanket of snow and creating little teardrop burrows.

After a while, she tried to calm herself - swiping at her falling tears with the backs of her hands in an attempt to make them stop. But they didn't. Defiantly, they continued to slip down her face.

She was about to have another go at furiously freeing herself of the unwanted liquid, when a scuffing of feet and a rustling of branches caught her attention.

Her head shot up and she looked about frantically. "W-who's there?" she called out unsteadily, rising ever so slightly into a defensive crouch.

The rustling stopped abruptly. It was quiet for a few minutes, and Pudding was almost sure that whoever was there had left… Until a head poked out from behind a thick tree trunk, followed by the rest of the body.

Pudding gasped.

"Tar-Tar-kun!" she cried. The small alien watched her warily, refusing to step any nearer to the monkey-girl, his hands gripping the bark of the tree tightly. From a distance, he seemed angry, almost as if he was about to attack her. But… looking closer, she could see his frame trembling, uncertainly and fear shimmering in his honey eyes. She stood up straight; a bout of nausea swirled in her stomach.

"No…" she whispered, instantly realising why the alien boy seemed so afraid. "You… you didn't… Oh, Tar-Tar-kun, please tell me you didn't!"

His eyes began nervously darting about the clearing, changing their focus in an attempt to settle on anything but her dread-filled face. But he found himself drawn back to her, ashamedly.

"…What if I did…?" Tart asked, his voice lowered to a remorseful murmur.

Pudding was speechless, and she gazed at him with brimming eyes. Her mouth fell agape as strangled sobs began to choke themselves out from the back of her throat and the tears spilled over and cascaded down her cheeks. The chill of the snow barely reached her when she sank to her knees in shock.

"W-why?" she squeaked.

"…" Tart's expression was one of regret and shame. However, something seemed to dawn on him, and he shook his head rapidly from side to side, his face changing to become a picture of anger and resentment. "I was bored," he spat. "No-one was paying any attention to me! I wanted someone to notice, someone to talk to me, something to do!" He stamped his feet frustratedly, his voice getting louder and louder with each word, until soon he was shrieking and tears poured from his own eyes. "I got sick of being ignored, and thought that if I did something big… if I destroyed something - _someone might notice!"_

"So you destroyed our café?" Pudding murmured, hurt tied to her tone.

"Yeah…" he admitted, bowing his head. "I'm sorry."

"Well," she began in a firmer voice, standing once more and causing his head to shoot back up. "Sorry's not good enough. You're gonna have to help, young man!" Pudding placed her hands on her hips, nodding vigorously to emphasize what she was saying. "And you've gotta go back an apologize to everyone else."

"B-but what if they're mad…?"

"Well of course they're gonna be mad. But I'll be right there with you. And I won't let them hurt you, na no da!" she finished, a broad grin lighting up her face, which contrasted greatly with her soaked, pink cheeks. She held out her hand for him to take, and cautiously, he did so.

"And Tar-Tar-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I forgive you," she said, smiling sweetly at him. He blushed, before stuttering out a quick "Th-thanks" as they began to walk back to the café.

_"Because you're my best friend."_

_

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_**A/N: **I'll try and get another two drabbles posted by the end of today.


	19. 19th December

**A/N: **Second drabble of the day! I'm going to work really hard and try to get the third one up before I run out of time, so enjoy this one until then!

So this one's a little different: half description, half dialogue, then some mixed at the end. I'm just messing about with style here, so feel free to let me know if it's not very good.

Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

_It's time to clean the cafe, sweep and tidy and dec, get the mess off the floor and broken lights of the walls, and make sure with everything to double-check. But not all goes to plan, and they all end up running amuck, so I think it's about time that you and I, wished all of the cast good luck..._

_

* * *

_It was a work in progress, but they were at least working hard. The floor had been tidied and swept clear of any broken remains, and the tree had been lifted and placed outside. Keiichiro had laughed it off, joking that he could use the wood for heating the oven. Ryou had not been all too impressed with that comment, arguing that the oven didn't need wood to work when he was paying for gas and electric to run it. It took Ichigo dragging him out of the room to prevent an argument developing further. Which, of course, gave Mint the perfect opportunity to tease and taunt, and spread the gossip she had learned about the two the other day.

But by the time she had twittered about it for half an hour, Ichigo had reemerged from upstairs and had begun chasing Mint around the café with a broom, in the name of revenge. It was amusing to watch… for about five minutes, when Zakuro decided she had had enough of their antics, and stalked off to find Keiichiro. They needed a new tree, and she knew just the place to find one - but he'd have to carry it back for her.

Still, Pudding and Tart gazed on in wonder at the Wildcat and the Lorikeet. Each grew more enthusiastic with every attempt the catgirl made to whack the ballerina; they pumped their fists up in the air, Pudding springing from foot to foot, and Tart hovering subconsciously in the air.

Lettuce watched anxiously, fearing for her friends' safety. If they were to get hurt… or crash into something… She shook her head. No, she would not let that happen. So she began running after them. Of course, Pudding and Tart thought this meant it was game time, and after exchanging brief, excited glances, they sped into the midst of it all.

Soon, all five were dashing about the café, screeching and shrieking and having fun. Ryou came down to investigate, and immediately found himself retreating back up to his room - the kitten securely clutched in his arms. Zakuro and Keiichiro had left by this point, meaning there was no-one around to supervise the hyper Mews and alien.

Which, of course, resulted in chaos. Or, more specifically…

"Ow! You old hag - you sat on my leg!"

"I didn't sit on your leg! I'm nowhere near you! It was Mint! And she fell!"

"As if I would do such an ungraceful thing as fall, Ichigo. Honestly, who do you think I am?"

"… Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Superior. I forgot you were immune to doing normal people stuff such as tripping."

"Sarcasm aside, Ichigo… apology accepted."

"But-- Wha-?! I wasn't really apologizing!"

"Of course not."

"…Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, of _course _I'm not."

"That's good, na no da!"

"Anou… Pudding-chan, Mint-chan was being sarcastic…"

"…What's that, na no da?"

"…"

"I'm with Pudding; what's sarcasm? Kish and Pai won't tell me…"

"Well, it's… Mint! You're the queen of sarcasm! Help me explain to Pudding and Tart what it is!"

"Aww, you think I'm a queen, Ichigo? How sweet. And I suppose you think Shirogane-san is your Prince too, ne?"

"…Don't start, Mint. Or you'll regret it."

"Wanna bet, Momomiya?"

"Oh, you--"

"Hey! Kids, quit fighting."

All heads turned to face the doorway, where Zakuro stood, a thick pale pink jacket, matching gloves and a fluffy scarf protecting her from the chill. She held the door open, allowing some of the freezing cold evening air into the café. Outside was dark, but the light in the café bathed the immediately surrounding grounds in a golden glow. And from out of this glowing darkness emerged Keiichiro, lugging a new, emerald green Christmas tree behind him.

Once fully inside, he placed it down and turned to the gaggle, who were now sprawled all across the floor. "Ok, so who's going to help me put this thing up?" he asked, a delightful smile painted on his face.

Instantly, five hands shot up into the air. "We will!"

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**A/N: **Review, please?


	20. 20th December

**A/N: **Third update of the day! I can't believe I actually made a triple update!

Now, **Jhaede** asked me to put something special in this AN, but I decided to leave _her_ a special message instead. In the rhyme. X3

Enjoy everyone! Fluff, fluff, fluff and funny for this one! :D Oh, and apologies in advance if Ryou is OOC...

* * *

_Now Jhaede wants some kissing, between our two favourite Café Mew Mew nekos, but the question is do we give her some? Or do we let it come and go? If she thinks I'm kissing Masayas, one two three or even four, well it looks like she's got another thing coming, cos from tomorrow this fic will be late no more!_

_

* * *

_Nights like these were Ichigo's favourite. Crisp, white moonlight and fresh, chilly air, and beautiful snow decorating the ground for miles around. The city was almost quiet, very few cars passing her by as she walked along the streets, on her way home after another exhausting day of work at the café. But it'd all been worth it, because today the café closed for a whole week.

It wasn't like Ryou to give them time off-- she swung her legs about, crossing them in front of one another as she walked-- but she supposed this _was _for a special occasion, after all. On Christmas Eve, Ryou was holding a fancy Christmas party and of course all the Mews had been invited. And if the last one was anything to go by-- she winced as a car flew past her, chucking some snow up accidentally from the road and onto her-- then this one was sure to be spectacular. She couldn't wait - the food, the people, the dancing, the dresses! It was all so exciting!

She was so eager to try her dress on - Ryou had pulled her aside earlier to tell her that he had ordered her a special outfit made specifically for the party. And when she asked him, begrudgingly, what she owed him for it, he simply chuckled uncharacteristically and told her not to worry about it. _That'd this one was totally on him. _…Oh yeah, he so wanted something for it. But what it was, she couldn't tell.

Pulling her ungloved hands out of her coat pockets, she wrapped her arms around her torso and hunched her shoulders up to her ears, as a shiver rattled her feminine frame. The worst thing about December was the temperature - there hadn't been a single warm day since the beginning of the month, and she was starting to severely miss the heat of the previous summer. But still, at least it meant Christmas was closer.

A smile played on her lips as she walked, rounding the corner of her street and nearing her home. Just the thought of all the festivities of the coming days was thrilling, and her step acquired a spring to it as she made her way up her drive.

Opening her front door, she called out cheerily to her parents, before quickly turning and closing it so the wintriness wouldn't enter the house. Scuffling her shoes on the doormat before removing them, Ichigo began to shed all her thick, outdoor clothing. She lined the radiator with them, hoping that they would dry before morning, when she would undoubtedly have to go out again.

She had just turned to head up to bed, when a knock at the door caused her to spin round again. Unlatching it, she pulled the handle back and opened it once more. And gasped.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to be here… Ryou."

The blonde boy smirked at her, shifting his weight so as to stand in a more comfortable position. "A nice surprise then, Strawberry," he said, nodding to her.

She tried to stop it, but she couldn't help but allow a smile to grace her lips as she looked at him, hands clutching the sides of the door as she faced him sideways, in what she hoped was an attractive manner. But then a blush sprung to her cheeks; why should she be hoping she looked appealing to him? It was Shirogane, for goodness sake! She didn't like him! …Did she? She mentally slapped herself - no, no she did not, and it was foolish to try and question feeling that for him!

…Or not feeling that for him… She inhaled sharply, upon succeeding to confuse herself via her own thoughts.

Ryou cleared his throat - a noise that instantly brought her attention back to reality, and more importantly, him. …Ok, now she was ready to mentally knock herself out. Why wouldn't her thoughts do what she wanted them to? Why did they keep telling her that he looked so cute and delicious standing there in the snow, on her doorstep, holding that garment bag--

Instantly, she perked up, forgetting all about her inward battle.

"Ooh, is that for me?" she asked excitedly, a child-like grin stretching across her face.

Ryou glanced playfully at the thing in his arms, before looking back up at her and saying, "What, this? Well, it might be… It might be a certain something special… Like a dress perhaps…"

"My dress!" she squealed, clapping her hands together gleefully. Her cry was so loud, that a suspicious call came from the living room, causing Ichigo's face to pale.

"What was that?" Ryou asked curiously, trying to look past her into the house - but to no avail; she blocked the entire doorway, due to her not having opened it very far.

"My father."

She didn't need to explain further. Both sensed the need for urgency, so Ryou quickly placed the garment bag in her outstretched hands. He made to leave, but promptly found himself turning back again, to plant a sweet, chaste kiss on Ichigo's lips.

"Goodnight, Strawberry. Sweet dreams." And with that he made his exit, leaving an awestruck red-head lingering on her doorstep.

Ok, whatever fight was going on in her head, the denial side lost. Yep, she definitely had feelings for Ryou now.

* * *

**A/N: **It takes her twenty chapters to admit she likes Ryou? Oh c'mon, Ichi - we've known that since the series!

Still, review pretty please!


	21. 21st December

**A/N: **Well, I got halfway through writing this one... and then got forced off the computer. So I'm sorry it's late. This means a triple update today again; I already have the 22nd half-written, too. I managed to keep myself awake long enough to at least finish this one and start the next.

Special thanks to **platinumstrawberry56 **who has gone through and reviewed every single chapter of this!

And to **lexie (as tru as it gets)**: I'm sorry, but there won't be any Masaya-bashing in this. I'm against bashing, and therefore won't write it anymore. I hope you understand.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

_They all sat round in a circle, the chairs and tables all pushed back, happy smiles upon their faces, and presents beside in a sack. It's time to dish the gifts out, and see what everyone got, but it seems Ichigo's forgotten about that, so she'll have to make an excuse on the spot…_

_

* * *

_It hadn't taken them long to scrape back all the chairs and stack them around the edges of the room. Nor had it taken the seven long to lift the tables to one side, either. So when they came to sit down after shifting everything, and all the while Mint was complaining about her sore feet and aching arms, the ballerina Mew found herself being pelted with snowballs that Pudding and Ichigo had collected from outside.

Zakuro and Lettuce attempted to stifle their laughter as they watched, so as not to upset Mint further… but both found slight tittering giggles seeping out from behind bitten lips. Keiichiro and Ryou, on the other hand, were one step away from collapsing to their knees in hysterics - and Ryou was even contemplating joining in the friendly attack on the bluenette. But it ended too soon, when Ichigo and Pudding ran out of ammo to throw. This left a soaking, freezing and furious Mint to storm off to the changing rooms to switch outfits; it was lucky that she had decided to bring a second pair of clothes with her to the Café that day.

Five minutes later, she reemerged into the main room dressed in a white blouse, navy cardigan and a matching pleated skirt, with opaque black tights and black ankle boots to top it off. Her hair was now brushing her shoulders, having been let down out of the two usual buns to allow it to dry. As she made her way over to the rest of the group - who had now formed a circle on the linoleum floor - she scowled, making sure to send death glares at the two girls who had launched the attack. Ichigo feigned fear, whilst Pudding simply blinked and smiled innocently.

"I hate you," she muttered darkly, sinking herself into a sitting position between Zakruo and Lettuce.

"Love you too!" the red-head replied cheerfully, grinning impishly at her friend. Mint rolled her eyes and groaned in annoyance.

Then, turning her attention onto the pale pink bag that lay at Keiichiro's feet, she commanded, "Reach me the sack please, Akasaka-san."

He nodded and smiled warmly at her, picking it up and handing it to her with a polite, "Here you are, Mint-san." She gestured a thank you in return, before pulling it into her lap and excitedly opening it.

"Right," she began in and official sort of way." It's time to give out the presents. Since they're all in this pretty sack, I'll hand them out as I reach them out. Hopefully, you've all remembered to put name tags on them--" she glanced around the circle, and everyone nodded in response to her warning; at this, Mint smiled contently, "--and so, since it seems you all have, let the giving of gifts commence!" And with that declaration, she dove her hand into the bag.

Meanwhile, Ichigo shuffled closer to Ryou, the blonde quirking an eyebrow as she did so. "Shirogane," she whispered frantically, so low that only he would hear her, "what are we going to do? We didn't buy any presents!"

He smirked, twisting and grabbing the kitten who wandering about the circle, and cradling her in his arms. "Don't worry, baka," he whispered back, just as soft as she had. "I took care of all that."

"You went out and bought all the presents by youself?!" she whisper-exclaimed.

"Yes."

"B-but--"

"Oh, shut up, Strawberry. Just let it go."

And surprisingly, she did so, closing her mouth and leaning over the give him a quick hug. Shame Mint had to see the action, ne?

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**A/N: **Review please!


	22. 22nd December

**A/N: **So, **Sajintmm **requested that I gave Lettuce some of the limelight - and I thought this was a very reasonable request, considering I seem to have given all the other Mews their time in the spotlight and neglected poor Lettuce. Strangely, this one was extremely easy to write and quite calming doing so, too. I guess it's because Lettuce is such a sweet, quiet character. Ever noticed that writing a particular character can change your mood?

The idea for this one was inspired by **Immortal x Snow**, as she only finished school yesterday, herself. As such, this one's dedicated to her - for both finally being on Christmas holidays, and doing so well in her finals! Don't forget to congratulate her!

Ok, know what else I discovered? When I'm hand-writing stuff quickly (since a little of this one and most of the previous chapter were hand-written first), and it's a word ending in '-ing', my 'g's tend to loop round and dot the 'i'. Hmm, strange - I don't seem to take my pen off the page. I know - random piece of KO-babble that was probably pointless, but still, I felt like sharing it.

Now before I babble some more and bore you half to death, here's chapter twenty-two! I hope you like it!

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_So close to Christmas, finally the holidays, she packs up her schoolbooks, and sets off on her way. Home she, to join in the cheer, knows she won't go back, until the New Year…_

_

* * *

_Lettuce gathered her books together, carefully placing them into her bag. She checked over her locked several times to make sure she hadn't missed retrieving anything she would need over the holidays, and once she was satisfied, she shut the door, letting it click securely for what would be the last time until the new year.

Walking down the quiet halls, she made her way towards the exit, nodding her head in polite acknowledgement to the few other students who still lingered in the building. After quickly exchanging her indoor shoes for her outdoor ones, she pulled on her jade-green gloves and matching, fluffy scarf. Reaching the double doors, she braced herself for the bitter winds that she was sure would greet her… before pulling on the handle and stepping outside.

The grounds were large, and it took her several minutes just to reach the gates that led out of the school. Once she did, she swiveled round to stare up at the building she was leaving behind. Her glasses slipped down, and she raised an index finger to push them back up the bridge of her nose. Snow lightly fell all around her, swirling fluffy flakes dancing in the air and around her figure. She smiled, bowing respectfully to the building, and then turning and leaving.

The skies were beginning to darken, thick grey clouds becoming thicker and greyer. But bright, dazzling signs from businesses lit up the streets, guiding her home. Lettuce rounded another corner - one that led her passed many small shops and boutiques. It was one of the calmer streets, and she knew it very well. Every day she would stroll down the road, headed to many different destinations. She was fond of this place, very much so, and as such, a smile found its way onto her face as she turned to one of the shops in particular. Pushing on the door, she giggled as it gave a _'ting!', _signaling to the shopkeepers that someone had entered their domain.

Her giggle grew into a laugh as a tall, balding man sped out from the back, rubbing his hands eagerly at the prospect of making another sale to a new customer. However, as soon as he saw her, his face dropped, before widening into a welcoming, toothy grin.

"Well hello there, sweetie. How was school today?" he greeted, holding his arms wide and ambling over to her. She copied his action, meeting him in a gentle hug.

"It was fine, Papa. It was pretty relaxed - the teachers didn't really give us much work, since it was the last day," Lettuce replied joyfully, breaking away from the hold.

"Well, go dump your books in your room and get changed out of your uniform, and then we'll make some dinner, eh?" he offered.

She nodded, swiftly running out of the room and kicking her shoes off, and then proceeding to dart up the stairs that led to the plush apartment above the antique boutique. She called out a greeting to her mother before entering her bedroom, resting her bag at the end of her bed and turning to her wardrobe. Selecting an appropriate outfit, Lettuce pulled it out and changed into it. Approving of her reflection in her floor-length mirror, she left the room once again, closing the door silently behind her and plodding into the lounge.

After lighting the open fire, she made her way into the kitchen, ready to begin preparing the dinner. She lifted out all the ingredients she would need, however, something at the back of one of the cupboards caught her eye. A lone candy cane sat dejectedly. Her lips curved downwards into a frown, and she reached up to pluck it out from that solitary place. Spinning it her hands, Lettuce came to a confident decision - this candy cane was unhappy by itself. So she'd have to eat it; that was the only logical choice.

Peeling off the wrapper and discarding it in the bin, she popped the minty treat into her mouth. No-one would mind if she ate it before dinner, after all… or would they?

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**A/N: **Can I has reviews, please?


	23. 23rd December

**A/N: **See, now this is what happens when I have no idea what to do for a chapter - utter nonsensical babble comes out! There's no plot to this - it's just kissing!

Let me know how awful and OOC it is, please. I'm just thanking however many lucky stars are out tonight that I only have two of these left - and that those ones are planned out! So nothing like this shall ever spew from my fingers again.

* * *

_Now we're up to the twenty-third, and there's only two more days to go, and what could be better for Ichi and Ry, than being stuck in the café by snow. All by themselves so what could go wrong? Or maybe what could go right? Because it looks like the weather's playing a trick, and Ichi won't get home tonight…_

_

* * *

_She forced his door open and strode into the room, flopping down on the edge of his bed and sprawling out over his duvet. He looked at her questioningly, but said nothing, continuing to pet the small kitten in his arms. She mewed delightedly at the attention she was getting, rubbing her head against Ryou's hand lovingly.

Ichigo raised her own head to observe this, and "Aww"ed at the sight. She'd never thought that her jerk of a boss would ever be so cute and caring with a kitten. Ok, so she knew he was a total cat person - he'd whispered that in her ear just earlier, making her squirm and whimper at the feel of his hot breath. The memory made her blush, but for once, she didn't actually mind. Ichigo was becoming accustomed to the rosy hue that heated her face, and the cause of the constant blushing was beginning to grow on her…

She was definitely sure that she liked him now, but had absolutely no idea what to do about it. It wasn't as if he liked her back… Although, that didn't explain why he had taken such a liking to kissing her… It was strange; an accidental kiss only a few weeks ago had led to a lot more-- She inhaled sharply. It was bad for her, to think about his lips pressed forcefully on hers, and the way his tongue felt as it danced around her mouth… Her breath released in a dreamy sigh and her eyes glazed over. Her lips began burning with the want for more - she needed him to kiss her now, dammit!

But how exactly was she going to bring that up? It's not like she could just straight-out ask - he'd laugh! And then taunt and tease her about how she clearly couldn't get enough of him… Which, ok, right now she couldn't. But still! That didn't give him the right to tease her. She pouted, folding her arms over her chest.

The sound of chuckling reached her ears, and she turned towards the source, only to find that Ryou was shaking his head as he stared back at her, laughing as he cradled the kitten tightly.

"N-nya?" she stuttered bashfully, blush darkening.

"You're odd, baka. You're odd," he said, in the way of an answer. She shook her head vigorously in protest, and crawled up the bed to him, collapsing onto her side and snuggling down.

"What, no comeback, Strawberry?" he asked, amusement laced in his tone.

She shook her head, before wiggling closer to him. Maybe he'd get the hint. But alas, it seemed boys never do; he quirked his eyebrow at her movement, and carried on cuddling the kitten. She had to stop herself groaning. It wasn't fair! But… an idea hit her, and she figured if he wasn't going to play fair, then neither was she.

Grinning mischievously, she sat upright and made a grab for the little kitty, somehow managing to steal her out of Ryou's hold. He yelped in surprise, before glaring darkly at her.

"Give me my kitten back," he demanded. Her grin widened, the impish sparkle in her eyes telling him that he wasn't getting his cat back anytime soon. So, he did the only logical thing he could think of. He tackled her.

Now, this caused Ichigo to let out a very high-pitched scream, which in turn caused the kitten to flee in fright. And thus, Ryou ended up pinning Ichigo to the bed in a very compromising position; his body was pressed fully against hers, and she had to bite her lip in order to prevent the lustful whimper escaping her mouth. But he'd seen it in her eyes - unfortunately, her pupils had dilated, giving her inner feelings away. Which is exactly what possessed him to begin trailing butterfly kisses down her jaw-line. Ichigo began struggling to keep in her moans, and soon enough, some slipped out.

"R-ryou!" she gasped, as he moved onto her neck, sucking and nipping at the tender skin. She started panting as she reveled in the sensation his kisses brought her, but suddenly, his mouth covered hers and she felt his tongue sweep into her mouth. After a few startled seconds, she began responding, her lips meshing perfectly against his.

She didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but eventually the need for air became irrepressible, and reluctantly they broke away from one another. Ryou and Ichigo both lay still for a while, perfectly motionless apart from the heaving of their chests as they gasped for air.

And then… Enter kitten, stage left. Finally deeming it safe to return, the baby cat sprung onto the bed, working her way up and somehow succeeding in squeezing herself in amongst the two. Both laughed at the kitten's antics, before snuggling back into each other as the room returned to silence, the kitten being cuddled in the middle.

However, the silence was soon interrupted by the rumbling sound of purring. But which one was making the noise?

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**A/N: **Two left! And I'm finally caught up! Review?


	24. Christmas Eve!

**A/N: **Christmas Eve~! And the second-last drabble! Notes on this one: ok, so many of you might be expecting the scene at the actual party, right? Well, when trying to think of what to write, I was drawing many, many blanks with that idea. Plus, it was a little too cliche for my liking. SO I decided that, why not write about what goes on before-hand? Because all girls know that half the fun of going out to such a party is getting ready, right?

Well, that's what you've got here, at least. Enjoy, and I'll try my best to update tomorrow!

To **lexie (as tru as it gets)**: Yes, I've heard of lent, but I'm not Christian. Actually, I'm not religious at all (I'm open to religion though), and thus I'd kinda feel uncomfortable writing a lent fic. I'm very sorry. I'd love to hear your other idea, though!

* * *

_One day to go and you know what that means, excitement and fun, and a party I do believe. So put on your dress, and do up your hair, because surprises and magic, are awaiting you there..._

_

* * *

_Chaos. That was the only word to describe it. Absolute and utter chaos. Pudding pranced about in her sunshine yellow frock, spinning and twirling, and watching as her skirt swirled around as she did so. Lettuce was running back and forth between rooms, gathering certain things and collecting needed items and depositing them wherever necessary. She was not yet dressed in her gown; still only an over-sized t-shirt and temporary sweatpants cloaked her body.

Zakuro had offered to be the make-up artist of the evening, and had already painted up Mint's face, and lightly dusted Pudding's eyelids with some lemon eyeshadow. Currently, she was doing her own, while she waited for Mint to finish with Ichigo's hair.

The ballerina was the only one fully ready by that point - her hair had been let down and in a rare spur of the moment, she had gathered the straighteners and pulled them through her blue locks. Her make-up was subtle and elegant, the colour scheme tying in with that of her outfit. The dress was a deep azure, with spaghetti straps holding it up; formfitting and simple, with a single black ribbon wrapped round the waist for decoration. A pair of matching ebony gloves adorned her hands, slipping down to cover just past her elbows.

Ichigo sat in front of her n her own fuchsia, halter-neck dress, as Mint finished straightening her luscious red hair and began scraping it into neat, low bunches tied with two silver ribbons. Once done, Mint moved away to tend to Pudding's hair and Zakuro took her place in front of the catgirl. Preparing her equipment, she started Ichigo's make-up with a practiced hand.

Lettuce was finally getting changed into her outfit, and by luck, as soon as she had put it on Zakuro was finished with Ichigo.

Now ready with nothing else to do, she strolled into the hallway of the model's apartment, intent on exploring. This was the first time any of them had been allowed access to their eldest friend's expensive dwelling, and Ichigo wanted to make the most of the little time she had left there. But sadly, her expedition was cut short when the doorbell rang and from inside the bedroom, the Wolf called for her to answer it.

Rising up onto her tip-toes, she peered through the peep-hole to inspect the waiting guest. Upon seeing Ryou standing on the other side, she quickly unlocked the door and stepped aside for him to enter.

"About time you got here. I called at least half an hour ago!" Ichigo complained, placing her hands on her hips to show her irritaton.

"And would you have been ready half an hour ago?" he fired back, shoving his own hands into the pockets of his tailored white suit.

She pointed a finger in the air, opening her mouth to retort… but her mind drew a blank, and she was left standing there embarrassingly, as she racked her brain for a witty comeback.

"Well, no," she finally answered, lowering her outstretched finger into a horizontal position and prodding the boy in the chest, "but you should have been here anyway. When a lady asks you to do something, you do it straight away, ok?"

"A lady? I wasn't aware a lady had asked - I thought it was you, baka," he commented, feigning innocence and confusion.

She growled, balling her hands into fists as her temper rose. "Listen mister--"

But she was cut off, when a small bouquet appeared above their heads. A small bouquet that was attached to a delicate, gloved hand. A small bouquet that was attached to the delicate, gloved hand of a certain smirking Lorikeet, as she balanced on the back of the purple-haired model. And this bouquet was the worst type there ever could be - it was a cluster of creamy white mistletoe. And it was hovering right over their heads.

Ichigo looked at the mistletoe, blinked, looked at Mint, blinked, looked back at the mistletoe, blinked again, and then looked to Ryou. Blink.

She questioned herself as to why she was so lucky to have a best friend such as Mint. And this time, she wasn't being sarcastic.

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**A/N: **Review?


	25. Christmas Day!

**A/N: **The final drabble... Why do I suddenly feel completely relieved? XD I don't think I'll ever try to update something once a day ever again - maybe once a week. The story was a lot of work, and a lot of effort and time taken to write and post it.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed!

This one's longer - maybe the longest one overall. I just hope you like it.

* * *

_In the morning she wakes up, with excitement and cheer on her face, ready to spread the merriment and fun, on this wonderful Christmas Day. But then the phone rings and he's called her, asking to meet up soon, dazedly she asks when, he tells her at first sight of the moon…_

_

* * *

_Her breath came out in a cloud of mist, floating in front of her face. She exhaled once, and then once again, but neglected to watch as the white moisture swirled in the air around her. Ichigo's gaze was far too occupied with the enchanting pink Café; it towered high above her, fairytale peaks and turrets rising into the nighttime sky, with the glowing white moon sparkling in the background. The Luna sphere had turned the snow beneath her to silver dust - and her feet caused it to crunch under her weight as she walked up the pathway that led to the arched entrance. But again, even this did not catch her attention - her mind was focused only on the boy dwelling inside, and the small, wrapped gift clutched tightly in her hands.

Ichigo ran through in her head just what she was going to say to him; when she'd tried to exchange presents the other day, he had refused, telling her it wasn't necessary. So what she really needed was some sort of retort - something that would outsmart and baffle him so much that he wouldn't be able to think up a comeback. But she could think of absolutely nothing, and as she grew closer to the doors, her mind went frantic. She needed this witty saying - whatever it was - because she just _needed _to get one over on him. Just once. Ichigo even went as far as pausing outside for a moment to see if her brain spewed anything at her at the last second. But alas, it wasn't to be, and she only ended up becoming confused.

Finally, with a reluctant sigh, she turned the handle and pushed open the door. Her first thought upon entering was of how pretty the Café looked with all the Christmas decorations. The second was how there seemed to be everything in the room in which she stood - except the one thing she was looking for. Ryou. Ichigo rolled her eyes; he was probably brooding in his bedroom as he always did. Well, nothing else to do about it other than make her way up the stairs and towards it.

It only took her a couple of minutes to reach Ryou's room, and upon doing so she grabbed the handle, before quickly remembering that she needed to knock first. Curling her hand into a fist, she rapped it on the wooden surface three times, swaying her body from side to side as she awaited permission to enter. She didn't have to wait too long; seconds after she had knocked, the door flew backwards and Ryou stood, shirtless, in front of her.

"So you remembered to turn up, did you, baka?" he asked patronizingly, leaning down and giving her a sweet peck on the lips. The blush crept across her cheeks, and she stared up at him with big, wide chocolate eyes filled with surprise at the sign of affection. He raised an eyebrow, smirking proudly. "Well, I just figured that with the way things were going with us lately… that we might as well become an official 'us'. If you're up to it, that is. So what do you say, Strawberry? Be my girlfriend?"

She blinked. Blinked again. And then threw herself into his arms. He was slightly caught off balance, and had to take a couple steps back to steady himself, but he chuckled as he held her, lightly stroking her hair. She snuggled into his chest, forgetting all about the present in her grasp until she felt it come between the two of them, when _it_ brushed over his chest instead of her hand.

"Oh," she gasped. "Ryou, this is for you - if you'll accept it this time. Merry Christmas!"

To her surprise, he took it from her (she had honestly thought he'd turn it down once again), fiddling with the edges of the wrapping paper and rotating it in his hands. The blonde smiled - first at the present, then lifting his gaze to her. He leant down again and gave her a longer, but still sweet and tender kiss. She felt her mind cloud over and spin with the feelings that coursed through her body at the contact; the tingling and pleasant burning sensations that felt like a million fireworks exploding at once. It was wonderful.

Parting, she looked to him expectantly, but he just bowed his head, bidding her goodnight. Ichigo was taken aback, to say the least, and her heart dropped into her stomach at the realization that he hadn't gotten her a gift in return. But… But why not? She balled her hands into fists, glaring at the now closed door - as he'd shut it in her face - and trying her hardest to hold back the tears that were rapidly forming in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall.

Well, if he wanted to ignore her then she'd give him the same treatment. Yeah, a taste of his own medicine. She couldn't believe that only two seconds ago, she'd been kissing him! Ichigo twisted round on her heel, intent on storming off home-- But a small, fluffy, mewing ball at her feet prevented her from doing so. The kitten was sat in the hall. _Outside_ of Ryou's room. What was this all about? She knew for a fact that the boy never let the kitten out of his _arms_ - much less his sight or his room! So…

She stooped down to pet her, realising as she did that the kitten had a note attached to her collar. Plucking it from her, Ichigo infolded it and read what was written:

_Strawberry,_

_Merry Christmas. I know you love her as much as I do, so she's all yours. Take good care of her, please. And bring her to the Café once in a while - just because I gave her to you doesn't mean I'm never allowed to see her again._

_Love, Ryou _

And that's when the tears fell. Instantly, all her anger melted away as the salty water slipped down her cheeks, and she scooped up the kitten from the floor. The baby cat mewed in surprise, but quickly settled down into Ichigo's arms as the red-headed girl held her close. She couldn't believe it… but now she understood, at least. This was why Ryou had retreated so suddenly; he was terrible with goodbyes.

Thus, she spared him from it, turning and leaving. As she walked down the stairs, she lifted the cat up to her face and spoke to her. "I'm going to call you Shiroyuki. Because I found you in the snow, and because it sounds a little like Shirogane…" She giggled as she exited the Café, stepping out into the snow and making her way home.

A smile flit over her face as she thought about the events of the past month… Who'd have thought she'd start the month being at odds with Ryou, and end it with him as her boyfriend? Not Ichigo, that's for sure.

…But she had a sneaky feeling that perhaps Mint did…

* * *

_And so the story ends, on a happy Christmas note, Ichigo and Ryou finally together, and upon each other they can dote. The kitten found a special home, one in Ichigo's arms, and Ichigo found her own new home, right in Ryou's heart. _

Merry Christmas!


End file.
